


find me, don't lose this hand (wanna know, wanna know)

by heecheondo (bERUkUN)



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superpowers, Disappearing, Gen, Inspired by Boy MV, Kidnapping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Secret Organizations, Slow Build, Work In Progress, canadabros&eric uses their english name and koreans don't use their stage name (mainly), hyunjun instead of hyunjoon, idk what else to tag but there is More, junyoung instead of joonyoung, powers are referred as 'gifts' 'curse' 'abilities' etc but never 'power', prologue has gifs, sohn instead of son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-02-11 09:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 72,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12932166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bERUkUN/pseuds/heecheondo
Summary: These boys have nothing in common, one would think. But once their paths collide they'll have no option but cooperate.





	1. Prologue: Mysterious Virtues

**Author's Note:**

> the [debut mv](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuk0LHFSlR8) was really interesting......... (also where I got the title woop)  
>  ~~ok so I'm still not sure what to do with this~~ edit 1209: i now know that I'll be continuing it.. it won't be a stand alone! expect more chapters in the future uwu hopefully i won't give up,,,,  
>  **Summary, rantings and tags might change as I go with this. **although I know most of the plot im not sure of eeeeverything that will happen until then, so yeah,,, im sorry for that, but don't worry I'll give proper warnings when needed!****

Juyeon raised a hand in front of his eyes, blocking the blinding sunlight. He wasn't exactly a morning person, and he hated intense lights, but they were in a hurry. They had to find himat as soon as possible.

The boy sighed. He'd probably give up by now, considering they didn't have anything besides their gifts - or curses, according to his younger best friend - to reach their goal. But it was exactly because of his… _gift_ that he had so much hope. He could feel it, he could feel _him_. He knew he was around somewhere, and that he'd be vital for something he wasn't sure yet.  _He_ wasn't the only one, but he had an important role, and more importantly, Juyeon knew he was in danger. He had to be found soon. 

He heard metallic noises behind him and didn't need to look at it to know who the new person on the roof was. He could sense his presence.

“You got it?”, he asked, to which Chanhee nodded coldly. In one of his hand was a drone, in the other, its controller. Juyeon smiled teasingly. “You don't need that.”

Chanhee rose a brow. “What, the controller?”, he rolled his eyes at his same age friend. He would punch him if he didn't have both hands busy, walking next to him quietly instead. “You _do_ know I need to concentrate to make it work, and we might need it to fly out of my range. We have no idea where he is except he's in Seoul, and it's _huge_. We could stay here all day in vain.”

He positioned the drone on the floor and initiated it, the white machine floating in a matter of seconds. He then handed the device to the slightly older boy.

“Wanna control it or do I do it?”

Juyeon stared at Chanhee. “You're better at it than I am. I'll just tell you if I feel something.”

He nodded, and the drone flew away.

* * *

“You spaced out again, hyung.”

Sangyeon opened his eyes slowly. He was at Kevin's, him and the foreigner kid practising some of their songs out of boredom. They were looking for a guitarist and had found one person who might be perfect for the role, yet the boy was a bit late. _Very_ bad first impression.

He touched his face. He's been doing it a lot, spacing out randomly and even sleeping sometimes. It was weird, he slept perfectly well, yet he felt tired all the time. Maybe it was because of their intense practices, he had considered. But it felt too much for that, so there must be--

Oh, yes, he's been… having _those_ dreams. He wasn't sure of what, the pictures in his mind were so chaotic. There was so much yellow, so much red, but he didn't manage to find some familiar shape. He was sure at some point the colours went dark though, it was creepy, in a way. He was certain there was more in it, maybe some important detail, but he never managed to look at it. Or, if he did, he didn't remember it once he was awake.

That could be why he's been so weird recently. It was bothering him way too much.

“Hey, ahjussi, you spacing out again? The competition is soon, will we have to find another vocalist too?”, Kevin smiled slyly. “Well, I do have a honey voice and-- _hey_ , put it down hyung, it was a joke!”

The older man threw a pillow at him and quickly started running after his dongsaeng to prove him he was pretty healthy and young, thank you very much. The Canadian was as fast as him though, if not faster, and wasn't caught once. They stayed like that for a few moments until someone knocked at the door, Kevin stopping to look at its direction. “Ah, it must be him! Come in!”

The Korean man stopped chasing the younger to look at the door too, a very cute but tall boy appearing shyly into the room. “Hello? Is Kevin here?”

“Jacob!”

He sighed but kept smiling. “It's hyung for you.”

Kevin giggled. “There isn't such thing in Canada”, he remarked in English, Sangyeon understanding only part of it.

The new face - Jacob, the youngest had said - looked at him finally, eyes locking. The older felt a shiver in the back of his neck suddenly but couldn't _not_ look at him. He didn't know what was that feeling but was certain the other boy felt it as well, staring back at him, smile now gone. He couldn't name it, but it was like a warning of something that would happen. Yet, at the same time, it felt like it was connecting him to the stranger. He felt like that with Kevin too but didn't remember it being this intense, since it's been so long. But it definitely felt familiar.

Kevin looked at both his older friends, realization hitting him. “Oh? Are you two--”, he then smiled knowingly. “I know what's going on.”

He didn't. None of them knew what was going on, nor what would come from them. But if Sangyeon’s intuition was right, it wouldn't be something good, nor happy. And that scared him.

* * *

He had fainted again. Damn.

Hyunjun got up weakly, looking around, a bit confused. It was already morning and he was the only one in the room. As it’s _always_ been. He sighed and got up. Giving a glare at the calendar, he realized the deadline was soon, _way_ too soon. He didn't like it, but he had no option but keep going. He wasn't in his perfect shape yet and time was running. He must keep going.

“Little master”, a voice said from the door behind but he didn't care. He knew it was more than time for a break but he kept practising the instructions he probably knew by heart now, he had to be  _perfect._ It was what they told him, and what they expected of him. “Little master Hyunjun”, he heard again, fiercer this time, which made him give a quick glare at its owner. The woman by the door sighed. “You weren't in your room so I thought you would be here. You shouldn't overdo yourself, it's not healthy.”

The young kid rolled his eyes. His maid didn't understand so he didn't bother explaining it to her. She knew that'd be his reaction anyway, it was like that every time. Both sides were familiar with the pattern now.

“At least take a bath and eat. You won’t go anywhere without proper rest and feeding.”

He stared at her, ready to turn her down, but he was starving. He nodded at her, telling he'd be in the dining room in ten. She tried her best to hide her big motherly smile - she felt more like a mother than his real mom - and nodded, leaving the practice room.

Hyunjun was about to follow her but suddenly felt like he was being watched from afar, which made him pause and tense up. _Sure_ , the building had cameras at every corner, he grew used to it. But it still felt creepy, and the feeling came from the window out of every place. He was on one of the highest rooms, this wasn’t right, _couldn't_ be right. And it couldn't be his imagination, it wouldn't be the first time his gut made him feel things, leaving his hype aware of his surroundings. And his gut was never wrong. 

He turned to look.

* * *

He's fucked up. He's fucked up _once more_ , and he had promised himself he'd never let it happen again. _Shit._

Sunwoo put on his hoodie, not wanting to draw any attention. He's already got way too much of it for one day, he didn't want more, couldn't have more of it. He was supposed to be like a ghost. It wasn't even a matter of hiding himself anymore, it was a matter of keeping people near him safe.

He sighed. He was glad it was too late, as nobody was in the train's carriage with him. He sighed again, putting his favourite rapper's song and rested his head on the wall behind it. Everything was going to be alright, he told himself. Maybe it didn't seem so, but it could be worst, so he shouldn't complain. Just keep trying to stay hidden as you've been doing. Sure it didn't work today, but there were so many days that you managed to scape, _right?_ Today was just a bad day. _It would get better_ , he told himself.

He opened his eyes slowly and realized the train wasn't moving. He didn't think of much of it first, closing his eyes again, but once he reopened them he noticed it wasn't on a stop, besides, he didn't feel the brake. If it was an emergency, or if something had forced the train to stop, he'd probably notice the brake. Besides this, everything seemed normal, but… considering there wasn't anyone nor anything but him in the carriage it was hard to point it out by himself. It was confusing, yet Sunwoo tried to keep calm. He could be paranoid, it was normal for people like him.

A song suddenly started playing loudly on the nearest carriage, loud enough for him to hear it even with his headphones. If everything seemed normal before, the whole situation was giving him the creeps now. He felt cold all of sudden as he started panicking, had he been found? Was he going to go missing, like his childhood friend?

But then why would they play a song? That'd just put him on guard, just like how he was right now, and he'd run away. It couldn't be it. Something else was up. 

He looked at the door's window, not sure what was going on. And it only made him even more confused, frowning at the scene. 

Was he.. was that boy  _dancing_?

…

Haknyeon breathed in and out, his speaker next to him. It was late, only one couple on his carriage, and they seemed to be getting ready to leave the next station. _Great_ , he grinned to himself. He didn't want anyone to witness it. 

They soon left, hands in hands, but the boy remained still, waiting until the doors close, in case someone got inside the train. It eventually closed, the boy the only one inside. He breathed in once more, it was the best timing, _now or never._

He'd realized that he had a gift only recently, a couple of months ago, but never really tried to use it in large scale. He had tested it here and there, but it was something so small it didn't require much concentration, neither it was challenging. There was no one around now, he could push his boundaries without being found. Well, the worst that could happen would be someone step in and him getting all embarrassed, but they'd not realize he was one of those with special abilities. He could deal with it and then he'd laugh at the memory of it a few weeks later, but would remain hidden. It was perfect.

He sighed, eyes closed, concentrating fully on his goal. Stop, stop, stop. Time, _stop_. 

He opened his eyes. Nothing seemed out of ordinary, his first thought was that he'd failed. But then, giving a closer look, the train wasn't moving. Not only that, the hanging strappers were crooked, as in they were moving with the train but stopped midway, against the law of gravities. That could only mean one thing, and the boy loudly gasped. 

He… he did it! He _actually_ did it! 

Well. Time to test his concentration. He turned the speaker on to any music and let his body move freely. Half of it passed and, looking around, all seemed the same. He's been doing well, he supposed. He kept with his dancing, turning around the corridor, eyes half open. His sight crossed with another boy's, and he stopped breathing, fear and confusion growing into him. _What?_ He was sure time was still frozen, at least within the entire train. But that boy, he was definitely moving, hands now on the window that separated their carriages. 

Who was he, and how did he do that? 

* * *

“Finally alone”, Eric said out loud, smiling at himself. He stopped by an alley, holding his skate in one hand and a cup of coca cola in the other, a bag of paper between his lips. Sometimes he wished he had three hands. That, or telekinesis. It'd be cool too, but he was stuck with his boring curse. 

He quietly sat down, opening the bag and getting hands into a burger. His _favourite_. 

In theory, he shouldn't eat it. He was told, even if indirectly, that he was disgusting even since he first entered school, and he used to care about it. Words of him saying he was too short, too fat, too ugly, too stupid. He had grown, though, and now he couldn't care less about them. But it still ached inside every time he looked at himself in the mirror or went to eat out. He tried to be strong, but it wasn't always effective. 

He looked at the food. It looked back at him. His stomach hurt, he was hungry. But, he wondered, someone could step by. Another voice inside told the first one to fuck itself, that it shouldn't matter. But it wasn't a matter of them being right or not, but rather, what if they find him and decide to punish him for existing? 

He slapped his cheek lightly, but it still made a noise. It's just a burger. His favourite burger, yes, but whatever. He should just enjoy it, he thought, taking it in hands, ready to bite it. 

A random boy suddenly appeared in front of him, startling him. Since when has he been in the alley? It took him a while for the other to spot him though, but when he did he stared down at him. Eric stared back, too scared to move. He didn't know him, he could be different from his classmates. But he didn't know him, he could be disgusted by him at first glare anyway. 

The stranger opened his mouth. 

…

Changmin was tired. He was done with everyone and everything. 

He hadn't got the role. Like, _seriously_? He could beat everyone in the dance club by a blink of an eye. _Literally_. He had tried his best not only to master his dance but to do it seem ordinary yet fascinating, by normal people's standards. He _breathed_ for that place, yet that's how he's treated? He wasn't given the role, he didn't even have a minor role either. He was basically one of the back dancers of the back dancers. It wasn't fair.

Maybe if his dance teacher didn't disappear suddenly, leaving the worst student  _ever_ with her spot only because she's been with the team the longest. That sunbae hated his guts, for some reason. 

 _Whatever_ , he suddenly thought. He put on his music, slowly feeling its beat. Changmin looked around, there was no one in the alley. He smiled to himself, dancing to the beat, slowly at first.

The song got faster, and so did he. The dust around him starting to float around him, as he was moving fast, too fast but he didn't care. He needed to feel the adrenaline, it always made him feel better and forget all he had to deal with. Changmin smiled to himself, mind lost in the music, lungs moving around beautifully.

He turned, then stopped. There was a boy frozen in movement, staring intensely at him. 

He was startled for some seconds, staring silently at the (younger? he seemed younger) boy who was about to eat his sandwich. He cleared his throat. “What-- what are you doing here, kid?”

Changmin waited, and waited, and kept waiting. Yet the kid kept staring at him with his mouth shut, clearly in shock. It made the dancer worried, has he seen all of that? Did he see him using his speed, or had he just noticed he was there _now_? 

He hasn't been found once, about his gift, so he didn't know how to deal with this situation. “Uh, how much have you--”

 _“Holy shit_ ", he finally said, voice weak. Wait, was that English? “Oh my God, you're like me. That's why you appeared out of nowhere”, he explained himself, now in Korean.

The boy standing kept staring down at the other, blinking in confusion. _What did he mean by that_?, he thought. 

The boy put his untouched burger inside the paper bag, getting up to smile at Changmin. “Sorry for intruding, I can't help it. Your secret's safe with me”, he said, pointing to his head. 

He shivered. Did he just--  _What was going on?_

* * *

He breathed in, eyeing the man a few meters in front of him. Oh, not _him_ , Younghoon thought.

Was he stalking him or something? He was tired of seeing him so much lately. Or, at all. They had parted ways a long time ago and did not need to deal with shit from someone else's paw. They had nothing to do with him anymore, _Lee Jaehyun_ had nothing to do with him anymore, so he should just quit it and leave the past behind. Just like he did.

He kept on walking, pretending he hadn't seen the younger. Maybe, in the end, it was a just coincidence, Seoul was big but not much.  He passed through him hoping he hadn't been noticed.

He _knew_ was wrong. 

“Wait, Younghoon-ah.”

He stopped, slowly turning to the owner of the voice. He looked sad, maybe even desperate, and deep down it hurt him. But he had no business with him, so he shouldn't have such thoughts. He should've just gone away like his initial plan was. “The hell you want this time”, he deadpanned, voice full of poison. 

Jaehyun licked his lips, nervous. He knew there wasn't much use to reason with Younghoon, at least not right now with the wound so fresh, yet he also knew depending on his words it'd be the start to him to recover from it. “Please give it a second thought. You know what's going on, you know better than any of us, we need you. Hell, _he_ needs you.”

The slightly older one frowned at those words. “It didn't seem like it before, and I'm sure it doesn't seem like it now.”

“Younghoon, _please_.”

Jaehyun stared at him, and he could tell everything he didn't manage to voice. They've been really close in the past, as much as it was not the case anymore Younghoon could still read him perfectly. 

“There's something really wrong, with  _all_ of it. You were the one they trusted the most, yet you were also the one who knew first whenever something was off. There is something big, _disastrous_ going on and I alone can't fix it.”

He scoffed. “Since when do you care? Maybe it'd be better like that in the end.”

If he looked desperate before, Jaehyun was now panicking, eyes pleading. “What.. Younghoon-ah, just listen to yourself, this isn't you. You're the most caring person ever, so why..?"

His answer never came. He walked away, not looking back once. 

“Younghoon-ah!”

This wasn't about him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as I wrote this, someone posted a soulmate au of the same mv. although my story's totally different and quite unrelated (besides, you know, both are based on their debut mv) I found it interesting how different ideas were born out of the same inspiration. [do give it a go here!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12931536)


	2. Chapter 1: Before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the most sudden changes had its initial hints, warning you about what was coming. Hints were there, just no one caught it in time to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the previous chapter was basically "adapting the mv scenes into this au", while this one is introduction to character with a bitttttttt of plot I guess? sorry if it seems boring or annoying and that not much is told yet,,,,,  
> a lil of rambling but,,, this is just my third chaptered fic: one has been posted in my other pseud but is now deleted after three chaps (intro + two long ass chaps with a total of over 12k), aaaand [this that you can still read](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5320331) altho it's been discontinued at its third chapter,,,, thinking now, Three seems to be my unlucky number with chaptered fics, but hopefully this will be broken in thie third attempt and that i'll finish this...!!!!!!  
> not sure about ship yet (except for sunhak, dont worry sunhaknists you'll be pleased :-) + the junew that will remain super bffs only, sorry junewnists for disappointing!) and altho I have Ideas™ about the ships I have an issue with long ass fics.... bc usually my plans never work out because the story grows out of control as if it was a living monster?????????? so uhhh we'll see what the end ships will be later, then I'll add proper tags. if you see any interaction between the other 10,  
> it COULD be a relationship developing. guess i'll be dropping hints here and there until I decide which ways to go  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **important: some other idols will appear in the story (not only in this chapter) and some will be bad people. it does NOT mean I hate them, nor that they are, irl, shitty people. I just need a face to imagine scenes in my head,** if that makes sense?, **and because of that I used other idols of other groups I like.**

August 1st, 2006.

Sangyeon looked at the two new faces by his door, more specifically, at the young boy staring back at him. It made him feel weird, his entire body went cold. It seemed like a warning, his intuition telling him to close the damn door and avoid him like the plague because there would be no good outcomes. Staying by his side was no good.

“Hyungseo-yah, stop staring at your new neighbour and introduce yourself, silly”, a woman said casually. Probably his mom, Sangyeon assumed.

The kid blinked and stared at her. “It's Kevin”, he protested in English and the woman silently gave him a glare.

_“We're in Korea now, sweetie. Get used to it.”_

The older boy blinked at it, not understanding a single word.

The boy - Hyungseo? but he didn't seem to like the name… - rolled his eyes. “Do you maybe speak English…?”, he asked, still using the foreign language, looking hopefully at the other but after a few seconds, it dropped a bit. He kept smiling, however, switching to the other's mother tongue. “I thought so. Hello, my name is Kevin--”

“You're Hyungseo.”

“--and I'm from Vancouver. But don't worry, I can speak Korean too, see? Since my family's Korean and all”, he smiled sweetly. “And what about you?”

“I'm”, he cleared his throat. Why did it feel dry suddenly? “I'm Lee Sangyeon. And I, uh, am eleven. You never said your age so I don't know--”

“Oh, _oh_ yeah! Sorry, guess I’ll never get used to it”, he laughed at himself. “In Canadian age I'm eight, but I guess here I'm nine? Born in ninety-eight.”

He nodded. “I'm your hyung then.”

The foreigner stopped a bit, thinking about the elder’s words. He looked at the woman, who said something low the Korean kid didn't hear. Kevin then nodded at him in agreement.

“Uh, is that all? My mom's off to work so I don't think I can call her now or…”

“It's okay, we did come by without warning. We just wanted to step by and say hi.”

Sangyeon smiled at her, not really knowing what to say next. The two new figures soon left though, but not before leaving him a jar of homemade cookies. He didn't get why, but it was good.

Well, it was just new neighbours. Nothing else to think about this… encounter, he supposed, ignoring his intuition.

* * *

January 10th, 2007.

“Junyoung-ah!”

The young boy stopped what he was doing to look at the old man by the door. “Yes?”

“What are you doing out there, son? And why is your leg-- _Bae Junyoung_!”

“It's nothing”, was his quick response. “I mean, I just wanted to see the birds nest so I climbed up--”

“And now you're all hurt”, he spoke softly. “Come on kid, you're going back to Canada in a week and if I don't bring you in one piece to your mom she'll come with you next time to give me a lecture.”

The young boy smiled at that, getting up and moving towards the house. “But grandpa, you won't believe me but I was pretty sure something magical just happened with the birds.”

The old man was taking the medical box from its place, about to clean the kid’s injuries. “Sit here, son”, he patted down to a seat. “What kind of magical thing happened?”

“You see, at first I didn't even see there was a nest. I had just seen a cat, so I went up to pet it”, the grandpa did a sound that resembled not only a laugh but also a choke. “But once I was up and I spotted it, I was pretty sure that nest was empty or something like that. It was all quiet. I thought, maybe that's why the cat went away. But then, they woke up!”

The old man looked expressionless at the kid. “Who woke up?”

“The little birds! The babies. Maybe they were hiding from the cat, I don't know. Or maybe they were sleeping? But once they woke up, I don't know, it felt… magical.”

The Canadian boy stared at his grandfather after finishing his story but, in response, he only looked petrified over it. Little Junyoung didn't know why, didn't understand why. He just told of something magical that had happened? And there were birds in it. _Baby_ birds! They were cute, not scary.

“Don't you find it magical, grandpa?”, he innocently asked.

The man slowly breathed in and out, the kid not understanding his behaviour. “Have you told this to someone else?”

“Of course I didn't. You called me in as soon as it happened.”

“Right”, he spoke and then sighed. “You shouldn't tell this to anyone, Junyoung, not even your parents.”

The Canadian blinked. “Why?”

“Because people are evil, son. Because people don't like… magic stuff”, he then looked at the boy straight in his eyes. “You'll never know who can hate you for this, not even people you hold dear. You should not trust anyone. Promise me you will not tell anyone else about this, nor any other thing that may happen around you. Okay?”

The kid nodded slowly, not really knowing what he was agreeing with but doing so anyway. “I promise, grandpa.”

The old man smiled at him. “Well, you're all good to go. Go have fun kid, but keep your two feet in the ground this time.”

The kid nodded again. “Hey, grandpa?”

“Yes, Junyoung?”

He smiled sweetly at the old man. “I go by Jacob.”

He smiled softly at his grandson. “I'll keep it in mind, Junyoung-ah.”

* * *

June 1st, 2007.

Chanhee was getting anxious, but most importantly, he was starting to feel worried. Juyeon has left probably half an hour ago and still didn't give any kind of signal of coming back, or for him to flee. He was stepping repeatedly and impatiently, looking at both his sides expecting the older to suddenly appear so they could go. He didn't even care now if he had actually managed to get something for them to eat, he just wanted to stay away from people with him by his side, safe, _alive_.

He sighed. He was _ten_ , he hated he had such worries at such young age but oh well, Juyeon was literally the only thing he had, the only person he trusted. He was on edge all the time.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Chanhee jumped on his spot then looked at the voice’s direction. There was a young boy, probably his age, sitting by his right. Since _when_?

“Are you? You seem a bit, I don't know. Nervous, I'd guess.”

And he was, he wanted to run away and never ever look back, but Juyeon. He couldn't leave him behind. As if he had sent an s.o.s. message for him, though, he spotted the slightly older boy in the crowd, hands under his shirt. _Food._

“Is there something coming?”, the kid kept speaking, now looking at the same direction the other was.

Chanhee breathed in. “Go away.”

The boy looked back at him, face shaped with an innocent curiosity.

“I said, go away. I don't know you _nor_ want to.”

He looked speechless. “It's just, you seemed lonely so I thought I'd ask. Mom told me I should never let people sad, so… yeah!”, he then smiled brightly at him.

The boy couldn't fully understand what the other was saying, but he didn't need to because Juyeon was now by his side. “Who are you?”

The stranger didn't notice the venom in the kid's voice. “Changmin! I'm Ji Changmin. Are you his friend? We could all be friends too!”

Juyeon rose a brow at that and then looked at his long time friend. He could tell Chanhee was uncomfortable, as much as this Changmin kid seemed to actually be trying to be nice. “I don't think we can be friends, sorry.”

Chanhee stared at the kid, who in a few moments changed his face for sadness, to thoughtful and then it lit up. He took his backpack and opened it, moments later handing something to the duo. “You can have this as a sign of my friendship.”

They stared at the package, it was a small yellowish bottle. “What's that supposed to be?”

“Milk! It helps you to grow up!”, Changmin cheerfully said. “At least that's what my mom told me. It doesn't matter anyway, it's good. This one is banana favoured.”

The two kids shared a look again, the younger hoping the older would just decline the kid. Instead, he quietly went to take the milk bottle and put it under his shirt with whatever thing he bought.

He then looked at his younger friend and gave him the signal. Thank _God_.

At the same time, the two kids started running from the kid, ready to hide themselves from any person.

He didn't want to, but Chanhee looked behind for a small second. Changmin didn't try to run after them, but he did seem surprised and a bit disappointed by their behaviour.

Well, they had no choice. He shouldn't bother. 

(But it did, and as much as he kept living like this, the image of Changmin never left the back of his mind.)

* * *

December 8th, 2007.

“Sunwoo-yah, get up”, a voice he knew way too well shook him awake. He groaned, and the owner of the voice was not amused. “Come on sleepy head, I want to enjoy the time I have with my best friend before visiting my family in Busan.”

That only made the younger groan once more. “Can't you spent the Christmas here with my family?”

“I asked the same but my mom said no”, he heard the voice say. “Come _o~n_ , Sunwoo-ya~h!”

The younger finally looked at his same age friend. “You're _not_ using aegyo tone at me.”

The kid just showed his tongue at him. “Auntie let me come in, she told me to tell you that she did your breakfast already, so you should get up and eat fast so we can go out.”

He didn't want to, but made his body move toward the kitchen where his mother was having her own breakfast. He knew his father wouldn't be with her because he still had work to do. He'd only be free a couple of days before Christmas Eve. “Hey, mom.”

“Oh, Sunwoo is up before nine!”

“it's because of me, auntie.”

Sunwoo would've run after the older if he wasn't dead tired. His mother laughed and agreed with the kid too. The betrayal!

“So, what you want to do that's more important than an eight year old sleeping?”, Sunwoo asked as soon as the two left the house. The weather was already too cold but the first winter snow didn't arrive yet.

“You're eight, not eighty” was his reply. “You should have the energy to jump and run around, not to be grumpy.”

He smiled at him. “I'm just teasing, Hyunjun-ah. Glad you felt for that.”

The boy looked surprised, and then, flustered. “Oh-- _oh_. Kim Sunwoo, damn you! If you ever complain about not having friends I'll remind you of today.”

“I have you.”

“ _Only_ me.”

“Isn't that okay?”

Hyunjun’s face softened. “I still wished you had more friends than me. But I guess in that aspect we're both losers.”

Sunwoo snorted.

“Anyway, we came here for important business”, the older spoke after a short silence. “You know, about our _secrets_. I wanted to test them out but I can't do it without you.”

Ah, now he knew why his friend was so eager. “I feel used”, he said, soulless.

“No you don't”, and it was true. “Anyway, sit down my friend.”

They were now at a park near their houses, but they knew one hidden place - their hideout, as the kids liked to call - so they could be free about their recent self-discoveries. It seemed like a cavern, but it was because of the weirdly shaped trees the place had.

The younger of the duo sat down in front of the other, who was smiling at him. “Have you discovered something new? And you want me to see it?”

“Yeah, but it's kind of complex so I don't know if I can do it again. Well, I wasn't really focusing when it happened? I didn't even think of anything I had just woken up and--”

“Hey, are you hearing this?”

Sunwoo and Hyunjun stopped moving. “Hey, isn't that Jaemin from our class?”, Sunwoo asked whispering. Hyunjun nodded.

This Jaemin used to be a quiet kid, but he ended up befriending shitty people, which sadly made him became just as shitty. It was a shame, Hyunjun used to be close to him before he befriended Sunwoo - who was and still is seen as the weird freak of the class - and, because of them getting closer, Jaemin started provoking both of them. They didn't hate him but it was annoying.

“I can't hear anything, Jaemin-ah.”

“I thought I had-- uh, whatever. Have you seen Renjunie?”

“He said he was leaving twenty minutes ago.”

A pause. None of the hidden kids moved. They then heard a sigh. “I bet he said that but is still having breakfast. Let's go to his house, Jeno-yah.”

They kept frozen in place until the steps stopped. Hyunjun looked at his friend with an expression the other couldn't tell. “I think I should go home.”

“What? Already?”

“Yeah, I just remembered I didn't pack everything up for the travel, so I should do just that.”

“I see”, he said, following the older out. “Hey, I can help you if you'd like.”

He seemed deep in thought, but then nodded. He didn't lie - there was a lot of unpacked stuff when they arrived, finishing it only before lunch. It wasn't bad though, the older kid's mother had let him stay to eat and then until it was time for them to travel. It was an enjoyable day.

And that day was the last time Sunwoo saw him.

* * *

October 2nd, 2011.

Changmin opened the door to his bedroom slowly. It was Sunday and that means his father was home, probably watching some sports on the tv with his dozens of beer cans. He looked at the piece of paper on his hands, an address he was a bit familiar to - he maybe knew it by heart for staring at it for so long - but never got the guts to actually go. He finally had gotten the courage to attend, but, well, _it was Sunday_. The old man was there, he'd _never_ let him leave. Not since after his mother passed and he started drinking and going out so often to forget his pain.

(As if it wasn't making the poor boy's pain even wider. But maybe he didn't notice. That, or he didn't care.)

The boy breathed in and out slowly, too afraid to actually do it. Yet in the end, it  _was_ now or never, he thought decisively. He left the bedroom and closed the door, glad it didn't make a sound.

He stopped, considering his options. Changmin could use his gift and go towards the door as quick as possible, and hopefully his dad would be too drunk and lazy to get up and go after him. Or, he could go slow and careful while hoping he'd not be noticed.

As much as the first seemed more charming, the last one seemed more safe. So that's what he did, moving around the living room, noisy thanks to the tv, slow enough for his steps to not be heard from the couch, back towards the boy.

He was holding the doorknob. He felt mentally blocked, as if he couldn't do it in the end. A pessimist voice kept telling him to turn around and go to sleep.

But that was what he wanted. He wanted to try for this dance crew, at _least_ look around, it was of his interest. It was something that could make him better, that could make him forget, that could make him happy.

The older man moved on his seat and for a second, Changmin thought he was getting up to stop his son. However, looking behind, he noticed the man was now asleep. It was the perfect timing.

He opened the door and walked to the address on the poster. It wasn't far, but it was a tiring walk. He didn't really care though.

He stared at the front door for at least five minutes, fearing his next step.

The place wasn't big, but it had a long corridor with a few doors and a secretary table with a man in front of a computer. He was chatting with a lady with workout clothing, clearly either a teacher or a student. Either way, someone who frequented the place often. He got closer to her, ready to question about the place, but he felt too anxious to actually do so, instead just staring by her side awkwardly.

The lady looked at him and gave him the warmest smile he had seen since the last time he saw his mother alive. “Oh, hello there, I've never seen you around! Perhaps, are you interested in the dance crew?”

Changmin just shyly nodded at her.

She rubbed her hand on his hair softly and usually he didn’t like contact from strangers, but it made him feel weirdly warm. Like he was home. “My name’s Chungha, I’m one of the dance teachers here, but I only teach those over fifteen. You look too young-- oh, I didn’t even ask your name! So rude of me.”

“I’m Ji Changmin”, he softly answered. “I’m thirteen.”

“Oh, you’re older than I thought”, the woman said. “Well, you wanna look around? Without compromise, just to see if you’ll like it?”

The kid nodded, and then Chungha was calling another boy. “Haknyeon-ah, could you show little Changmin around? He might join your team soon.”

The new boy nodded and looked at the older man. “Hi! I’m Ju Haknyeon, age twelve! So, let’s go, Changminie?”

He was too shy to correct the boy about the honorific, so he just nodded and walked behind him.

“What made you come, Changminie? Usually the kids are put here by their parents or something. Well, not me, I’m here because I’ve pestered my mom for months until she let me when I hit ten years old. Now I’m here!”, he stopped to look at the other kid. “Oh I just rambled, haven’t I? Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on and on about myself, I--”

“It’s okay”, he said in a rushed whisper. “I just like dancing. But had nowhere to do so, then I saw a poster.”

“O-- oh. I see, you’re like me then! Oh, wait, I shouldn’t be talking about myself.”

“I don’t mind it.”

The kid looked at him surprised. “Really?”

“Yup. I like listening to people speak.”

Haknyeon smiled wide at that. “Okay! But you must talk about yourself later then, okay?”

Changmin nodded. He felt like this was the start of a valuable friendship.

When he arrived home, his father was not on the tv anymore. He thought he'd maybe be found, quietly going to his bed to rest, but his father never checked on him nor screamed at him to see him, so it was probably not the case. He took a long shower - he didn’t even dance, looking at Haknyeon’s class quietly in the corner seeing if he’d like it or not and, honestly, if he wasn’t super nervous to actually do so he’d probably had run to the middle of the room and dance his heart out, but the walk was tiring enough. Still, he had loved the place and would give his best to join them, even if he needed to find a job to pay the classes. He’d manage.

Changmin dropped himself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. It was fun. He'd _gladly_ join the crew.

* * *

March 9th, 2012.

Sunwoo looked at the sky. It had been four years, a bit over four years since he last heard of him. His chest hurt at the thought, of how much he had lost. They'd be having fun together, probably running around like the kids they are whenever they're with each other, freely fooling around. _He_ would be happy. But he has no idea where he was, if it was a good place. He was still missing.

No, he was not gone forever. He _can't_ be.

“Where's that little gremlin that you kept following around, Sunwoo-yah?”, an asshole said. “Heard that it would be his birthday today, you know, if he was still around.”

“He's _not_ dead”, Sunwoo responded before even thinking.

The boy just scoffed. “How can you be so sure, you speak to the death now? Wouldn't be surprising, you're so creepy.”

“Seriously, go fuck yourself, Na Jaemin."

The other boy who was by the bully's side laughed at it. “Look at that, he can bark, Jaemin-ah!”

“He really is like a dumb stray dog, all bark and no bite”, he grinned. “Too bad for him, because  _I_  bite.”

The two stupid kids laughed at themselves. Sunwoo didn't bother to give those two a glare. They weren't worth it.

“Yah, where you think you're going, freak?”

“Last time I checked it's none of your fucking business.”

He really should've just shut up, but he was extra moody that day. The two bullies didn't like it. “Did you hear what I heard, Jeno? I guess someone needs to _learn_ some respect.”

“Let's get him.”

Sunwoo didn't want to get in trouble, but it seemed like he had two options: stay and be beaten or run, get caught, then be beaten. Surprisingly the last option seemed more charming, so that's exactly what the did, fleeing to nowhere specific. It's not like he could go home with the two of them one step behind.

The two bullies were way too quick, and Sunwoo was slowing down. He spotted an alley and decided to go in there. Bad decision, it was a dead end.

“You _really_ thought you would escape?”, he heard the older of the two scoff but refused to turn at them. “Didn't think you'd be this dumb but here are we.”

“Yah, why in the hell is he staring at the wall?”

“The fuck will I know? He must be another dumb kid.”

He heard steps. Sunwoo had given up, waiting for the first hit.

He heard a _tsk_ , then felt a kick on his right leg, it wasn't very strong but since the boy wasn't fighting back it made him fall. He didn't count the kicks, he didn't care. He just wanted it to be over. “Hey, you think if we beat him enough he'll start crying and calling for that dumb kid?”

“He's not here to protect you, is he, Sunwoo-yah? _Huh_?”

“He probably left because he actually hates your guts. Seriously, who'd befriend _you_?”

“Well, he deserved someone like you anyway. Two _freaks_.”

Sunwoo breathed in, anger growing onto him. He looked at his shadow, it was more agitated than usual. It never reacted like that, so he didn't know what made it like that.

“Maybe it was for the best that he fucking died. He was as disgusting as you, if not worse.”

Oh no.

Oh _hell_ no. That was fucking enough. You can do the fuck you want to Kim Sunwoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but if you **keep saying shit like this about Hur Hyunjun** **_I'm gonna open your fucking skull and watch you bleed s l o w l y._ **

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunwoo’s consciousness returned. He wasn't on the floor anymore, he was standing, with the two bullies looking at him a few metres away from himself. Jeno was holding Jaemin in fear, the other's face mirroring him but differently to his friend, he was crying. As if he was in pain. His hands were on his arm, yet he didn't really see anything wrong with it. The boy moved to their direction, which only made them get up hurriedly, but with difficulty, legs failing on them. The ran away, but not before speaking one last time.

“You really _are_ a freak.”

He looked down to his shadow. It seemed normal.

_The fuck just happened here… The fuck did I do._

* * *

February 4th, 2013.

Eric smiled at his future classmates, hoping they couldn't sense his tension. They stared back at him, all having their own thoughts of him but still pretty similar. He had to keep his focus at maximum to block all the voices coming at him at once.

“Hello, my name says Sohn Youngjae but I'd rather be called Eric. I've been born here in Seoul but left to L.A. when I was really young and just returned last year, and then had to move to Seoul and, well, here I am! I, uh, hope we can be friends”, he then gave them his best smile. He was nervous, he _knew_ what they were thinking of him. He also kind of expected it, so he kept his goals simple: he just wanted to have a normal school live without problems, so he wouldn't cause any trouble. It wasn't impossible per se.

The teacher told him to sit beside a tall boy by the name of Bomin. He smiled warmly at him but didn't speak much. Eric knew he was beating himself into speaking but was too anxious to actually do so. He didn't blame him.

“Hi”, the younger spoke to the boy by his side once their class ended. “I was wondering if you could, uh, you know, help me around since I'm new and all.”

The boy stared at him, face a bit flustered but that was all. He seemed to be a good boy--

_Ah no, please leave me alone, I don't wanna tour the new kid._

Uh. Okay..?

Eric coughed. “Uh, thinking now, you seem busy. I'll bother someone else I guess--”

 _Shit, Choi Bomin, what did you do to scare him?_ echoed on the newcomer's mind, but the thought wasn't his. “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to seem rude! You can ask me anything, but”, he paused and thought _please don't let me leave the classroom I don't want those kids to make fun of me this year too_. Eric felt bad for him. “Yeah, I'm kind of too busy to go out.”

Bomin smiled at him, and it seemed honest. Eric ate his lunch in the classroom with him, talking about the school but also sports. He hoped they could be friends.

* * *

July 14th, 2013.

“You're _quitting_?”, his older friend inquired as soon as he saw Haknyeon enter their dance practice room. The two of them were early - they _always_ were - so it was the best timing for them to chat it out.

“Where did you heard of if, Changmin-hyung?”

The taller boy pouted. “Don't change the subject! Some teachers were talking to themselves and I ended up hearing, _okay_ , so is it true or not?”

He bit the inside of his cheeks. “Yeah, after this year's Christmas I'll stop attending. Not because I don't want to anymore, you know how much I love this place”, he looked down, “but it's because I'll be in high school next year and my parents want me to focus on my studies only and maybe get a into a good university then.”

The older didn't say anything but he knew he understood. If the matter was in his father’s hands he knew Changmin wouldn’t even have entered the dance crew in the first place either. Their families had this in common, not thinking dance was something valuable to spend your time with. Not for a hobby, much less for a career.

“Hey, we still have half a year together, it’s not like it’s the end of the world. Besides, you’ll still have Chungha-ssaem’s amazing teaching. Remember when you used to crush on her last year? You died a bit every time she praised your dancing.”

Changmin looked sad at that. The younger felt guilty, maybe he wasn’t helping by mentioning that? He didn’t know. “Never mind it, Haknyeon. I’ll just need some time I guess, I just discovered I’m losing my dance partner to make me cooler on stage.”

“Ey, is that all I am to you, hyung? Rude.”

That made the older smile. “You know that's not it, dummy. Anyway, even if we never ever see each other you better keep in touch with me, all right?”

“Of course!”, he smiled sweetly at Changmin. “How could I forget you?”

He looked with a serious face at the younger. “I’ll hunt you down if you forget me.”

Haknyeon faked a scared face, knowing it was just teasing. “Yessir.”

He felt sad for stopping, but it’s not like he could do much in the matter. He knew Changmin cared a lot about him (although he could be a huge tease of a hyung, and to think his first impression was of a shy soft boy, _seriously_!) and that, sadly, he had trouble opening up to people. There was also a female sunbae that kept bothering him at any given time, and most juniors stayed far from him mainly because of that as well. It was the worst for the older, since he used dancing as a way of coping. He wished he could be of help.

He decided to not bother by it, focusing on the practice instead. It wasn't much of an issue, he was just worried about the older. But really, him stopping his dance classes would not be the end of the world, not to Changmin at least.

It would be for Haknyeon. But he'd live. Probably.

* * *

August 12th, 2013.

“Hey, weirdo with the pink hair”, someone said to Eric as he left the school. Today's class was over and he was starving. All he ate today was a salad, and although Bomin _did_ ask him if he wanted a share of his lunch he said he was well fed. He wasn’t, but it was okay, because he was planning to eat the fattest and biggest burger at his favourite place. The thought of it made him hungrier.

But, well, there was now an annoying kid between him and his burger and, although he wasn’t one to judge people the first time they met him, this boy’s mind was so dark it was hard for him not to dislike him quickly.

The boy looked at him, up and down, analyzing him. He could hear the boy questioning why hasn't he seen Eric before, why did he dye his hair, stuff like that. He could also tell the boy was not a good person, his harmful intention clear in his thoughts. Eric shivered at that but hoped it wasn’t obvious for this Jaemin in front of him.

“Why haven’t I ever seen you around?”, he questioned, and it made the pink haired boy question the same.

He gulped. “I, uh, entered the school earlier this year.”

The boy nodded at that. _That's why_ , he thought, _he must have arrived while I was suspended_. “What's your name?”

“Uh, I go by Eric.”

“Can't you say a sentence without _uh_ , Eric-ah?”, the kid rolled his eyes and mocked his sound. “My name's Jaemin--”

 _I know_ , he remarked in his mind.

“--and you better not forget my name or my face.”

He wouldn't dare, this boy gave him the creeps.

“Hey, Jaemin-ah!”, another boy - Donghyuck? - spoke from far away. “You're not bullying this kid, are you? You just came back from--”

“Shut up, Donghyuck.”

The kid sighed angrily, disapproving his friend's behaviour, who started moving away from them. Even as he walked, though, Eric could hear everything that was on Jaemin's mind about himself, the cursing he often heard every time he walked around the school halls, how he was disgusting and fat.

“Is that asshole bothering you?”

Eric turned to stare at the new voice’s owned and what the fuck? Since when has he stepped by? He'd-- Eric would have known! Even the silliest, simplest thought would've given himself away so, _how_?

The boy stared at him with scary eyes. “You deaf or something?”

“Uh, I-- Don't worry about me.”

A brow went up. “Who said I'm worrying?”

“Uh… sorry.”

“For?”

“For, uh, assuming I guess?”

He kept staring weirdly at him. “Whatever.”

He was about to go away when Eric, for some reason, decided to call him back. “Hey, what's your name? My name's Sohn Eric, are you by chance also a millennium kid? And considering the uniform we're from the same school but I admit I've never seen you around--”

“Calm down, kid.”

He stopped his rambling. Shit, he might hate him and they barely just met. Why must you be such an awkward boy, Eric Youngjae Sohn?

“Well, answering you, I'm Kim Sunwoo, also from 2000, and yes I go to the same school. And about the last thing”, the corner of his mouth went up but, for some reason it felt sad. “I'm hard to be spotted.”

The pink haired boy didn't know how to answer that, so he kept staring at Sunwoo as if he was someone fascinating. Well, he _was_ mysterious and it made the younger boy curious: how had he not seen him around, why did he look so alone and sad, why did it seems like he wanted to be hidden like a shadow, and why did he decide to reveal himself by that moment?

And most importantly, _how could he block his gift?_ Was he even doing it intentionally? Was it maybe that he was… also gifted? But so _powerful_ his own ability was blocked out?

“Stop staring at me, it's weird.”

“Ah, sorry sorry-- I just… wanna, uh, hang out one of these days?”

_What! Are you thinking, Eric-ah!_

He coughed. “I mean, for us to befriend, of course! I'd like to be your friend, if, uh… you wouldn't mind.”

Sunwoo stared at him with a confused glare. It almost looked like he was tempted to say yes, but then he turned away. “I don't really do friends”, he simply said, and started heading home probably.

Eric just stared at his back.

That burger would be a good thing right now, but suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore.

* * *

May 21st, 2014.

Juyeon could tell that something was bothering Chanhee, either because they know each other since they were babies or because of his gift. At first, he didn't really seem different, but his face was darker than usual, his pose stiff and he kept clicking on his pen even while watching television, a habit he had whenever deep in thought. “What's bothering you?”, he said sitting by his side. Chanhee didn't even try to fight it, he knew he couldn't hide his emotions, not to Juyeon at least.

“We got a visitor today, while you were asleep”, he started slowly, still looking at the television without really focusing. “He knew that we got… you know. These curses.”

Juyeon looked at him, he was still stiff. “But there's more.”

He nodded. “There is. It seems that person is the representative of an organization who takes in people like us, but especially younger folks. Like when we found each other.”

It was Juyeon’s turn to nod. There used to be a time where they were each other's everything. Not by the romantic meaning, but by the literal words. Juyeon didn't have a family or friends, but the moment he met Chanhee, suddenly he had everything.

The younger finally looked at the other. “They want us to help them, help take care of things. Like a job, we'd have a salary and they'd even give us a home to live.”

“That sounds weirdly nice”, he finally spoke.

Chanhee seemed surprised. “You actually _liked_ the idea?”

“Yeah? Why, I see nothing wrong. You remember how it was tough for us to manage, we could help other kids not to have such harsh life. And, look around us”, he pointed at their flat. “This place is so dirty and we have to steal so we won't starve. I don't see why you're so deep in thought.”

He stopped for a few seconds, staring at Juyeon still in shock. “How can you trust people so easily? You didn't even _see_ him.”

Juyeon agreed it was a bad habit of his, but to balance it, Chanhee doubted every living thing. They really were good for each other.

“You could have woken me up then, I don't know”, he shrugged.

The younger man rolled his eyes. “Don't you find it odd they knew us? We've been hiding since _forever_. We're not even civilians exactly, we were and still are in the shadows. So, how? And _why_?”

“I'm not sure, Chanhee-yah, I don't think it really matters. Maybe they were looking for more people to help and stumbled into us. Maybe they have someone like me, but more powerful, who can tell who has gifts”, and it was true, for some reason the wavelengths of someone with special abilities were stronger than those who didn't have one. Juyeon could always tell who was like them by eye contact.

The boy in front of him breathed in. “Well, it was mostly bothering me because I didn't know how you would react.”

“But now you know.”

“Yeah… I still don't really trust this, but…”

“You want to try.”

“Yeah”, he didn't have much expression on his face, but it then switched to confusion and then it changed to depress. “Hey, stop finishing my thoughts, are you telepathic now?”

Juyeon smiled slyly at his friend. “You're just easy to read.”

He was smacked in the head. 

* * *

January 11th, 2016.

Hyunjun was _not_ stupid.

He knew that something around himself was definitely off since the start, he just didn't do any move until now. He had a very good intuition but he still needed to be _sure_ of it, and now he had all the clues of this weird _thing_. First of all, he had no memories previously to his sixth year of life and, well, he was pretty sure any ordinary people would have some really old memories, even if just flashes of it. And he's not that old yet, his seventeenth birthday was just a month, nearly two months away, he should have some late memories. But he didn't, as much as he tried.

Second, his parents barely appeared to him. Like, _what_? He saw his parent's staff more than themselves. He doesn't even remember seeing his dad in the last eleven years, always too busy with work apparently. But he knew how he looked like, there wasn't really a way not to considering the place was full of his pictures, as if he was looking at Hyunjun from afar. Which maybe he did, considering the number of cameras around the place. 

Third, he was barely allowed to go out, and he could count by hand how many people he has contact with this entire life. Considering that most of the house's staff changed within three or so months, there was pretty much only three of them. Four, if Hyunjun counted his mom, but she barely appeared. And he didn't even count his dad for obvious reasons. But besides that, his contact with other human life was from television or internet - both that seemed quite restricted too. Not every channel nor every site seemed to work. 

Fourth, and last: his therapy appointments were really, _really_ suspicious.

“Hello there, Hyunjun-goon. It's been awhile.”

“We had class yesterday”, the young man remind the man who laughed - forcefully - at the remark. Since he had not many people who stayed for too long at the place, his therapist was also one of his teachers. It was weird having to see him so much, but he guessed he grew used to that. 

“Don't be like this, it's been almost two weeks since we've had an appointment like this, I meant. You seem to be always on time with your studies but it seems like you are avoiding this room.”

He was, but maybe he shouldn't have made it so obvious, he thought, after the therapist spoke. That'd make him aware that _Hyunjun himself_ was becoming aware. “I just forgot.”

“Come on, I've known you for too long for you to start lying to me. I've literally seen you grow up.”

He silently nodded at his words, not really knowing how to react and what to say.

“So, young boy, is there something bothering you recently? Something… that I should know?”

Younger and naive Hur Hyunjun would have been honest: he'd say yes and spill all his worries without any thoughts. Sadly, that's all he's always remember of those appointments, because whenever he went back to them he'd get _nothing_. Just like when he tried to remember anything that happened when he was less than five, there was a hole in his memories between when he entered the room and when he left it, and it probably had to do with him being honest and letting his worries out.

So, instead, he shook his head. “Not much, sir.”

The older man was taken aback and the boy had expected that. It was most likely the first time in at least ten years that he had said no, blindly trusting him all this time. But if his gut was right - and it _always_ was - his therapist was involved in whatever what currently happening. He could not be trusted anymore.

“Are you sure? Haven't you had… any feeling? Or maybe even nightmare?”

Hyunjun breathed in. “No, should I? Was I supposed to have nightmares, Hyuksoo-hyungnim?”

He looked flustered at that, maybe even panicking inside, and the kid had to bit the inside of his cheeks to not smirk. "N-- _no_! Of course not, if you don't have them anymore… it probably means progress. _Finally_ … we've been progressing, yes.”

Hyunjun stared at him, trying to read the strange behaviour his therapist was currently showing. The man cleared his throat, taking down some notes. “Is this why you have been missing our appointments?”

The kid's expression switched to one of questioning.

“I mean”, he cleared his throat again. “Have you missed our appointments because you don't feel like you need any more help? Because your nightmares and everything else went away, finally?”

Hyunjun didn't know what would be the best answer to make him believe he did not suspect a thing. Say that's the reason? What if that was a trick question? But if that wasn't the reason, he'd probably ask for an explanation, and what would he say instead?

“You know me sir, I would tell you everything, wouldn't I?”

The answer seemed weird, but it did make the older man relax, even if just for a bit. “I would like to think you would, Hyunjun-goon, but can I _really_ trust you?”

The younger boy was deep down really nervous thinking he could alarm whoever or whatever was behind all of this. But outside, he tried to keep his calm and have an honest expression. “Have I ever did something to earn your distrust, hyungnim?”

The adult looked at him seriously, with a glare that confused the younger. But then it softened, and he smiled. “Okay. Let's call it a day then, but you have to promise me you'll come back in three days.”

Hyunjun left a breath, nodded slightly at him. “Isn't it too early though?”

“Is it earlier than usual, but if something odd happens within the next few days I'd like you to be honest and tell me then.”

The kid smiled. “I hope it won't be necessary then, but I will step by. Well, until then.”

He bowed respectfully at the older and left to his bedroom.

* * *

February 23rd, 2017.

“I cannot believe you're just turning twenty _and_ is already double majoring. Where is my baby dongsaeng who hid himself between my legs every time we had to go buy something at the convenience store?”

Kevin shrugged, but visibly blushing at the embarrassing memory. “Well, back in Canada I'd still only be nineteen so I'm not that old.”

Sangyeon smiled at him, using all of his brotherly affection. “Never going to forget your roots, are you.”

The younger just sadly smiled at him. He missed home, but he couldn't be there. _Couldn't_. It wounded him, so many nice people he had left behind. Although he loved his normal life in Seoul… nothing was better than home.

“My child is all grown up now”, the oldest presented to wipe a tear. “We will lose contact because of our busy adult lifes and grow apart”, he left a fake yet loud gasp. “My son is going to leave me behind! I'll be sixty and alone with my only son a successful man.”

“Hyung, you're embarrassing me”, he looked around: no one at their university was giving them a look but he still felt like he was being stared from afar. He took a bite from the cake Sangyeon bought him for his birthday. “Stop being so dramatic, we're literally studying at the same campus. And it's not like I'll forget my first and best friend in the entire country.”

“Eww, that's cringe worthy.”

The younger stared at him, giving him a _look who's talking!_ glare. He sighed.

“But seriously, I'm still in disbelief. And your majors are so far away, like, psychology _and_ fine arts? They're not ever similar or complementary. They'll both suck your soul in different ways and you'll slowly suffer, _twice_.”

Kevin smiled weakly at his dramatic hyung. “Well, we will see where I'll go with those. Not even I am sure right now, but I'll still do my best until I make up my mind.”

The older looked at him with worry in his eyes. “As corny and cliche I might sound, your happiness comes first, don't forget that."

“Thanks, dad.”

Sangyeon just rolled his eyes, too tired to answer him. Kevin noticed that.

“You don't seem alright”, the younger remarked. After a few confused blinks, he rolled his eyes. “You're clearly lacking sleep! Hyung, the year barely started, we're literally only on the second week. You're not overdoing yourself _already_ , are you?”

“Hey, you'll soon realize this isn't like high school”, the older spoke, rubbing his eyes. “ _Especially_ with your double major.”

The younger rolled his eyes. “No excuses. You need to take care of yourself!”

Sangyeon got fake offended. “I’m the hyung here. By _two_ years.”

“The hyung who’s probably having some issues and instead of sharing, is keeping to himself”, he said casually. The older stared at him, not believing what he was hearing. “Come on, we’ve known each other for what, ten years now? I’m not stupid, and you know how much I worry.”

The older sighed. “I really can’t hide anything from you. But seriously, it isn’t much. I'm just having trouble sleeping?”

He rose a brow. “Is this a question?”

“ _No_?”, he groaned, actually groaned, and this wasn’t a Lee Sangyeon thing. Kevin was genuinely worried now. “I’ve been having some dreams and they make me restless no matter how much I slept, but that’s all. It’s nothing important.”

The Canadian hummed in thought. “It _must_ be something to keep you restless.”

“I don’t think so, otherwise I’d remember it, wouldn’t I?”, the older looked a bit pitiful by asking it. “If it was something a bit relevant or worry some, I think I’d remember.”

“Well, sometimes our brain forces ourselves to forget things that are too bad.”

“… _What._ ”

Kevin noticed what he had just said and flustered a bit. “I mean- it’s real! It’s an actual way of coping. Maybe you had a very bad nightmare and your brain knows it’ll affect you badly, so it decides you shouldn’t think of it and ignores it.”

Sangyeon kept frozen for an entire minute until he spoke again. “Drop your fine arts major. You’re such a nerd oh my _God_.”

Kevin once more flustered at his best friend’s words, not knowing how to react.

“But it’s okay, really. It can’t be a bad thing, right?”

“I don’t know, I’m not a dream expert.”

The older rolled his eyes. “After that lecture you’re telling me _that_? I don’t understand you sometimes.”

He laughed at that. His hyung was a good company, he loved being by his side. It was the only good thing about leaving Canada, he thought. Meeting him.

* * *

April 13th, 2017.

Haknyeon discovered his gift pretty much by a chance. He was having a heated up conversation with his best friend Euiwoong when, suddenly, he stopped in the middle of a sentence.

He remembers freaking out and apologizing for doing that once he returned to normal, which only made the younger super confused. A few weeks and conversations later, they both knew what was up: Ju Haknyeon had the gift to pause time, but only on specific objects or people, or at least for now he guessed. The boy in question was a bit curious about this gift-slash-curse, he couldn't lie, but he definitely was _not_ as eager as his younger friend.

“Okay, let's test how much you can do with, well… your thing”, Euiwoong had said and, no matter how much the older tried to back off, he was insistent. Why was this kid so convincing, he honestly wondered. 

“What's your plan, _oh_ so helpful dongsaeng?”, he said in a monotonous tone.

The younger looked around the place. “What if you stop something small but keep the rest running?”

Haknyeon frowned at him. “What if someone noticed? Depending on what it is, someone might see.”

“Hyung, no one will, we just must use our brains before doing something! Besides, hyung has me to back you up, consider me your smart sidekick. I'll be the Robin to your Batman! Trust me.”

That didn't sound right but the older didn't refute anymore. Euiwoong was seventeen and a nerd who loved fiction, so once he heard his best friend was one of those gifted he went nuts. He didn't know the dark stuff they had to deal with, Haknyeon only knew the top of the iceberg. He was terrified to end up missing or even killed just by having… this.

( _‘tht's all conspiracy bullshit lel’_ , someone in the interned commented under one reportage he had found about people like him. It said that, once people discovered they exist a few years ago, they've been silently attacked by things such as kidnapping and media play. Someone else commented it was just fiction by some rebels trying to make a fuss about those who are ‘gifted-slash-cursed’, which made the original poster say, _‘it sounds fiction but one thing is certain: media IS portraying them as something dangerous for ppl hate those w powers, so they can get hunted down without anyone saying it’s something bad, and believe it or not, it's been going on for a couple of years now'_. Although the post was taken down, Haknyeon kept on guard since then.)

“I know what to do”, the younger spoke again, making Haknyeon return to planet Earth and, more specifically, to the school's cafeteria. “I'm gonna roll my pen and you'll pause it before it falls, okay?”

 _No_ , he wanted to say but he nodded instead. “On the count of three?”

“You know it, hyung”, he breathed in. “Okay, so: one, two, three--”

“Woong-ah!”

The young boy looked up after flicking the pen. “Hyeongseop-hyung? Wasn't expecting you here.”

“Yes, but you know how Woojinie started dong--”

Haknyeon didn't give the new face much attention, focusing entirely on the pen that was still rolling. It was pissing him off how it didn't seem to work, no matter how much thought he put in the task.

It rolled to the table's edge, ready to fall…

…but it didn't. It stayed a few centimetres behind the edge, visibly flying. “Woong-ah, I did it!”

“What-- oh hyung, you _did_! I can't believe it worked!!”

“What did you do, Nyeon-ah?”

Haknyeon stared at the younger boy’s left and froze in fear. Oh yeah, they were now sitting in a trio, which could mean-- Had Hyeongseop seen it? “Uh, I--”, he could hear the pen falling on the floor, as his mind was now chaotic.

“It's one if those silly internet challenges, hyung, you're too old to understand it”, Euiwoong shrugged. 

He looked offended at the youngest at the table. “Haknyeon is five months older than me!”

Oh, _that was a smart move, Woong-ah_ , the gifted boy thought. “I can be formal with you if that'll make you better, Hyeongseop-hyung-ah~”

The other looked shocked at his same age friend. “Never call me hyung again, it's weird.”

“Can I be informal with you then, Hyeongseop-ah?”

He looked even more shocked at that. “One of these days I'll actually kill you”

Euiwoong showed him his tongue. “You won't, hyung loves me too much.”

“I hate that you're right. I should find myself a new favourite dongsaeng, you're a pain in my ass.”

“I thought Woojin was a pain in your ass.”

Hyeongseop went scarlet at that, with a giggling Euiwoong giving Haknyeon a high five. “We really are a perfect team, hyung!”, he said then, winking at him.

"You're a team of annoying kids”, Hyeongseop sighed. “I will take this as my cue to leave you two with whatever evil plan you're on together”, and like that, the boy got up and left to the counter, talking to one of the employees.

Euiwoong smirked. “Well that was awkward, but hey, it worked.”

Haknyeon picked up the pen, staring at it a couple of seconds longer before handing it to its owner. “What's next in your plans, dear sidekick?”

* * *

December 6th, 2017.

'Have you seen something - or _someone_ \- out of ordinary? It could be a threat for us all! Tell us, and we'll make sure to fix it. Help us to help the country!'

Kevin looked at the poster, slightly annoyed. It didn't make sense, _help us help the country_? That sounded like mass bull.

He tore the poster out. Under it was a missing poster and, giving it a glare. It was a couple months old, if they really wanted to do something to help maybe they could start with this missing lady, or any of the missing people he's seen in the news lately.

But oh well, it was just the Canadian's thoughts. It was whatever. By any means, Sangyeon and Jacob would soon arrive at his home for the band meeting thing, he should return home soon with the snacks he bought, and maybe cook them some tteokbeokki. He knows at least the older hyung loves his food, and maybe he wants to impress Jacob too. _Maybe_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and if you can't tell by now, the entire prologue happens in dec 6th, altho not on that specific order and ye  
> Besides march 9th and february 23th all days were random (I only needed an approximated month and exact year at first, but then I looked at the date's calendar to pick a day that would fit, for example school scenes couldn't be at weekends, but I guess I didn't need to give it much thought as no one would check... But I did it anyway!)  
> not sure if he tried it at the same time/as a double major, but kevin majoring psychology and fine arts is canon ([here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNtdbZ-o2nY), at 9:37. you're welcome.) also btw I screamed at that, being a fine arts major myself who has a sister majoring phychology. like. WOW. edit: [wait what (at 8:34)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N_D2d8DCMc)???? I guess it's like a subdivision in fine arts but holy shit (too late to edit the fic! or idk we'll see if I can put this piece of canon in the au,,,)  
> yet another edit: apparently [eric's middle name is jae](https://twitter.com/ftsunwoo/status/942057171721838593) which probably makes his full (english) name eric jae sohn, but it's probably the jae from youngjae anyway so i'm keeping it still as eric youngjae sohn in here.... :<  
> I don't think all the chaps will b THIS long, but I did not want to separate this in two as it's just back story.... And, well, there will be some other back story revelations in the middle so :/ leave it be  
> Oh and, the lack of younghyun (?) is intentional. I felt bad at first that the most excluded ones from this we're all from 97z, but then I remembered it was important to NOT keep jacob's last entirely hidden (even if it was sooooo short) while younghoon and jaehyun's NOT having their past revealed at all instead was important so only those two are excluded entirely. Wait, have I kind of gave hints of these three's characters? Shit, ignore this!!!! (insert evil laugh here)  
> please comment your thoughts uwu not to be that person but it might motivate me to continue this faster,,,, but oh well, merry christmas and happy new year! hopefully it'll be better than 2k17,,,


	3. Chapter 2: By the abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clock kept ticking. It would soon converge, their destiny's threads. Their path. Fate had already played its cards, slowly making them find their way into one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it too obvious I don't know how to make summaries or chapter titles? LOL  
> it's 2k18 woooooooo but the story is still at 2k17 :/ not for too much but yeah lol,,,, all of this happens AFTER dec 6th tho, but time jumps won't be like the previous chap, showing the time like "the date is this" or "two days later", I'll write normally this time lol....and hopefully for the rest of the fic, which.... with so much different of styles in only 3 chaps, it might look cool for some and like a mess for the rest.... I'm on the mess side. folks, pick your side! (actually don't cuz I know y'all will pick the mess side)  
> I said last chapter I'd not surpass 9k on each chapters, but I'm actually finding hard to make them short. in fact, some scenes from this I postponed to the next chapter, that's the only reason why it's short this time hah.... but if I write only small things I feel like it's too fracted (????) and, thus, making it less interesting, so I'm writing more. BUT, I'm not gonna do like the chap1-kind-of-2 where almost every character has a pov scene. probably just four or five, especially since from now on most scenes have more than one anyway,,,,, and soon shit will start. hey, don't send me hate, altho I've been writing for a long while now I'm still a newbie who's learning by failing. please bare with me aaaaaaa  
> edit 0121: I did not notice I wrote hyungseop instead of hyeongseop as the previous chapter, sorry for that;;;; I'll try to remember the official romanization is hyeong and not hyung (the one I'm more used to;;;)  
> anywaY PLS ENJOOOOOOOOYYYYYY ヾ（*⌒ヮ⌒*）ゞ

“Little master?”, Hyunjun heard from the door. Turning to its way, he saw his most trusted maid looking back at him, door half open. He nodded at her to get inside, closing the notebook he was writing his latest homework on, attention fully on the woman.

“Did you get it, noona?”

She smiled at him, showing him the drone that moments before was hidden behind herself. Hyunjun didn't know what to think about it, should he be happy or should he be worried instead? Anyway, he was glad the device was now on his hands, and not forgotten - or worse, caught by one of ‘his’ security staff, that was mostly his father's.

“Thank you, you can put it in here”, he said, moving his stuff to get the device some space on the table. “This will be all.”

He smiled at her honestly, with the woman nodding in return and turning on her heels to leave, but then the boy remembered, _you shouldn't keep traces of his actions, keep them at minimum._

“Wait, Cao Lu-noona?”

She looked back at him. “Yes, little master?”

Hyunjun breathed in, keeping his focus. Then, he smiled once again at her, staring into her eyes. “You did well, but you look tired now. You should go to your bedroom and sleep until tomorrow morning, and” he paused to lick his lips. “And once you wake up you'll forget that I requested you to get the drone for me, alright? You will forget about my request, and about the drone entirely. _Okay_?”

She stayed a few moments staring still, eyes blank. But then, after a few quick blinks, she was again smiling and nodding at him. “Good night then, little master.”

The boy gave her a quiet nod as he watched her leave the younger’s bedroom. He sighed once she was out of his sight, he _really_ hoped he wouldn't get caught, or at least, not so soon. He knew nothing missed _their_ eyes and ears, well, save for the practice room, so it would probably bother him later. Yet, he hoped he would have some time to move before getting caught.

Hyunjun decided to leave it aside for the moment and turned to the drone’s direction.

“Now what do I do with this...?”, he said out loud as he got closer, staring at the foreign thing. He _obviously_ knew what a drone was, but never saw one from so close nor knew how it worked. Besides, it seemed broken, he noticed, taking it into his hands and analyzing it. It _did_ fall from a high height after all. It was bothering how, whoever was behind the control seemed to know so much about mechanical stuff, yet here he was, clueless, with something that could be a hint to this bigger thing he was so alienated about, but needed so much to discover.

He stopped thinking of the object to start thinking of the person controlling it. Why were they looking for something on his window specifically? They seemed to be searching for something, but why there? Were they-- no, was _him_ connected to the same thing after all? Was a coincidence? It was all so weird, but it would be stupid of him to think it was just a coincidence, and the timing just made it worse, the clock was ticking and this was probably just another sign that he should get ready, and by get ready, it includes putting his plan into action. Maybe, _if_ \- no, Hur Hyunjun, don't be a pessimist now - _when_ he manages to get out of this place, he should track down this Chanhee, or something, and Hyunjun would probably get an--

Wait. _Who the hell is Chanhee?_

He stopped his line of thought to try to remember. Who was this Chanhee and where did he know him from--

Ah. _Yeah_. He tried to get into the person's mind. The one controlling the drone, and it actually worked. That's why he knew the name. _His_ name was Chanhee, Choi Chanhee, born April 26th, 1998, abandoned at young age, kind of adopted by a same age friend--

Damn, that was all. He didn't get much, but at the same time… he got a lot. He could do some research on that. And then try to meet him, and get the answers he needs…

Yeah… that _weirdly_ sounds like a plan.

* * *

Jaehyun stared at his two younger visitors, Chanhee who was lying on his couch after throwing himself on it, seemingly trying to calm himself down, and Juyeon who was still near the door, body stiff, as if refusing to relax. It was quite amazing how the two of them were so close to each other yet so different, the older mentally noted. He knew both for a while but it never ceased to amuse him, although this time it was like they swapped bodies. They were acting oddly.

“Did something happen?”, he asked the boy standing. Usually, the older of the two would be always calm and open while the younger would refuse to be comfortable in front of someone who wasn't his older longtime friend, so seeing their roles switched was really awkward. Still, he doubted Chanhee would trust him with his personal worries if he had questioned him instead. “You said you were going to start your search yesterday so I imagined I wouldn't see any of you two so soon.”

Juyeon licked his lips, refusing to look at anything that wasn't his feet. “It did, actually. We did our search, but it failed, or something like that.”

Before the older could question him they heard a voice from the living room. “Your drone is gone by the way, but don't worry hyung, one day we'll pay. Don't know how, but…”

The older of the duo looked at the youngest, finally moving from the door. “I don't think hyung cares about his drone, not more to what happened to you.”

Jaehyun could only stare at the two back and forward like a confused puppy.

Chanhee remained on the older’s couch, body visibly relaxed and a hand covering his eyes, but his voice was annoyed. “No offence to hyung, but I don't wanna trust more information than we already do with him. He's still under _their_ thumb. Can't we just spill the necessary and leave?”

Juyeon looked offended at that. “Hyung is helping us now, and cares about our well being. He's a friend, Chanhee. It's been months and you still distrust him? He's been doing all he can under the circumstances to help us and proved himself trustworthy and you still doubt him?”, he turned to the older. “And you'll just listen and say nothing, Jaehyun-hyung?”

He blinked. “Did you two come to my house to argue about me being or not trustworthy? I don't even know what happened for you to put me in the middle.”

The youngest sighed loudly and finally sat down on the couch. He stared into the older’s eyes with a serious expression. “We found someone. I'm still not sure if it's who we were looking for… But he's strong.”

“And he blocked Chanhee’s mind.”

Said man’s eyes twitched a bit remembering it, moving a hand to scratch it in hopes the older duo wouldn't notice. Juyeon might've missed it, but Jaehyun didn't. “He entered my mind through the drone, and we lost control over it. I think he made me do it, somehow. Made me break the connection, so the controller didn't work.”

That didn't seem to make much sense. Enter his mind _through_ the drone? “Were you two closer to him or something?”

Juyeon shook his head. “We spotted him through the camera in the drone, he was very far from us. But he really is quite strong, just by flying it around I felt his presence was near. And then when we got closer… I think he spotted us too.”

Chanhee sighed. “He looked right through the camera and the next moment he was inside my head. It was like I was dizzy for a few moments, and once I came back to my senses the connection was lost. I don't know who he is or how he managed to do _that_ but he's very dangerous, we _gotta_ keep an eye on him. He must be really strong to do that from so far away, and by using _me_? And my ability?”, he sighed again. “Maybe he has some connection to who we're actually searching for, but it's just my gut speaking. I have the feeling he is up to something, he wouldn't attack us that fast otherwise.”

He felt a hand fall on his shoulder, the older of the duo looking at him with sincere eyes. “And that's where we need you, hyung.”

Jaehyun stared at the duo, blinking a few times. “You want me to do some research about him inside the organization?”, he asked, with both his dongsaengs nodding. He signed and ran his hand through his bangs. “I can try my best but I can't promise you two I'll manage to gather something. And just because they trust me it doesn't me they will not keep an eye on me, not after all my partners left”, he sighed. “Do you have more information about him?”

Chanhee bit the inside of his cheeks.

“Do you remember the address, Chanhee-yah?”, Juyeon asked.

He looked down. “I'm not entirely sure, but I could try to remember.”

“Sorry, but”, the oldest asked in confusion, “ _try_ to remember? Wouldn't you have at least some idea because of the GPS system?”

The younger kept looking down, as if in shame. It hurt Jaehyun to see him like that. “I think that kid did something to my mind. I don't know what, and I'm a bit scared to know what, or maybe it's just a side effect, but my memories of yesterday are a bit… astonished. Everything is a mess.”

Jaehyun nodded silently, hoping to not show his worry. Chanhee didn't like people worrying about him, especially someone he didn't trust. “Well, we know he had some kind of mind control, and he's a boy, maybe I can dig something on the matter. You could describe him physically too, it'd help.”

“Juyeon, you do it”, the younger said, once again resting on the couch, leaving said man with no room to argue.

The older called him to the kitchen, because _‘you two are probably hungry, ey?’_ , which they indeed were, leaving Chanhee to nap a bit. They could talk more about this whole mess when they were fed.

“I'm not used to being the assistant”, the younger admitted with a smile on his lips. “At home I'm the one who cooks.”

The older smiled fondly at it. He knew they had a bad past, stealing food to survive at a young age. But now they were both twenty, and Juyeon quickly discovered he has the likes - and talent - to cook, so it was always a pleasing thing for him.

“Hyung, you're doing it wrong, it'll be bland like this.”

“Am not! My kitchen, my rules.”

The younger rolled his eyes. “That's not how it works! The assistant also should speak when the main chef is doing something wrong. That's how it is when Chanhee helps me cook.”

“Wake Chanhee up then”, he said jokingly, showing his dongsaeng his tongue.

His face got darker all of sudden. “I wouldn't dare. He didn't get much sleep after all that happened, and he must be overthinking this whole thing since it happened, blaming himself for whatever reason. Let him rest, he really needs it.”

He wasn't expecting the younger to sound so serious at that, so he left the conversation die.

He cleared his throat. “You know, I actually planned contacting you two, because something happened to me yesterday as well.”

Juyeon hummed, allowing the older to continue, as he helped Jaehyun to make them a quick lunch.

“I crossed by Younghoon last night.”

He got stared at. The older’s attention was on the food but he could tell the other was giving him some questioning eyes, he could feel his glare burning. “Define _cross by_.”

“Well, I was walking and he was by chance walking in the opposite direction?”

“By _chance_?”

He narrowed his eyes and finally looked at Juyeon. “I wasn't searching for him.”

“But you _were_ going at places he often attends to, right? While hoping he'd step by.”

He hated the fact he couldn't hide anything from the younger. “Do you suddenly read minds?”

The other laughed. “Chanhee sometimes wonders it too. But really, hyung, it's all over your face, I bet even hyung can tell by now that you're trying to get him back to our side.”

“Okay, yeah I am. And it's obvious he knows, I told him that”, he sighed. “Juyeon-ah… he would be so much of help in this whole hunt thing. Imagine us four once again teaming up, but instead against them instead of being their paws on their little plan. Don't you also want it?”

The younger looked tempted, he could tell. Juyeon had always wanted to be useful for the good, it was why he started working with them in the first place. Yet, he could tell there was something bothering him, resisting the idea.

“You… don't want it?”

“I do, hyung, it's just”, he sighed. “Maybe it would be better to keep things like this. Or maybe you should try something else besides spot him randomly by the streets and beg him to return.”

“He'd be--”

“Of help, I know hyung. But we can't _force_ someone to help us.” The younger turned to look at him. “I don’t want to sound harsh, but I have to say this. We don't depend on him to reach our goal and neither does you, hyung. I know he can do and knows of things none of us does and I know he used to be your partner back at the organization but--”

“He was _more_ than just a partner, Juyeon-ah.”

His words sounded weak but it was true, Younghoon was important to him. Younghoon was the person he trusted the most, and in return, he was who the older trusted the most as well.

But now he didn't even want to see his face, and it was killing him inside out of guilt. It was him who broke his trust in the first place, choosing to side with an organization that he now knows only lied to him.

The other man stared at him, he could understand what he meant without him speaking out loud. It was his gift, after all. The boy looked down, not knowing what to say.

The older sighed again. “I fucked up, Juyeon, and I want to fix it.”

Juyeon took a deep breath, deep in thought. Something inside the older told him he'd not like how this conversation would end. “Hyung, I think you need to clear your mind first.”

“…What you mean?”

The younger boy stayed a few seconds staring at his hyung's eyes, trying to read his expression. It made the older uncomfortable, considering what Juyeon's gift was, who probably could tell it. “Ask yourself, are you doing this to get your friend back or are you doing this because he will help us? You seem torn between both ideas and instead of prioritizing you want to do both at the same time. That's impossible. Or you try to gain his trust, or you try to drag him to help. If you gain his trust he might or might not want to help, but that's his choice, or you convince him to help but maybe once he does it'll go back to what's happening right now. You can't just do what your heart demands all the time, not in the matter in hand. People are suffering, hyung. You have to prioritize.”

Jaehyun wanted to refute, but then the younger noticed their lunch was starting to smell and ran to save it.

“Wake up Chanhee so we can eat. I'll fix the table.”

“S-- sure.”

* * *

“There have been new rumours around, have you heard it yet?”, Hyeongseop said first thing after sitting down on their table, between Woojin and Jihoon. The older of the duo looked a bit offended at that, being pressed to the wall against his will, but the other didn't mind the new face sitting by their side, so he let him do whatever, eating his lunch silently instead.

Euiwoong rolled his eyes, staring at the newcomer with unamused eyes. “You love gossiping, don't you, hyung?”

“Of course”, he smiled widely. “So, you want me to spill the tea?”

“No”, Haknyeon and Euiwoong said in unison.

“ _Eyyy_ , come on, I know you're dying to know! What about you two, Woojinie? Jihoonie?”

“ _Y_ _ou're_ the one dying to spill, Hyeongseop-ah”, Jihoon casually said, which made the duo sitting in front of them laugh loudly. The gossip child pouted.

Woojin sighed. “So, what did those kids invent this time instead of getting ready to enjoy the holidays?”

“That's why you're my favourite friend”, the boy said, smiling at the younger. “Well, basically… there are rumours that one student might be changed, you know. That someone at school has some kind of hidden gift.”

Haknyeon choked on his food, but thankfully he wasn't the only one who had a strong reaction, with Jihoon’s loud gasp while Woojin, well, he started laughing as if was the funniest joke he's been ever told. Euiwoong, unlike his hyungs, gave the oldest at the table a knowing glare, eyes mirroring the fear Haknyeon also felt, but none of them opened their mouths.

“Those people really have nothing to do, huh?”, Woojin said between laughs, but it earned him a slap on his shoulder from Jihoon (although it hit mostly Hyeongseop's back, who complained by whining).

“This is not something to joke about! What if--”, he looked around before speaking again, voice on a lower tone this time, “people start going missing here too, because of this?”

The time controller kept stiff. “What do you mean by that?”

“Y-- yeah! It's just a rumour, isn't it?”, the one who started this tried to laugh it out.

“Even if it's just a stupid rumour…”, the boy started and then left a sigh. “Anywhere that has suspects of changed people sooner or later has missing people. Probably some anti group that wants them all dead.”

Almost everyone at the table seemed nervous at that. Almost, because Woojin wasn't having it, staring at the boy two seats on his side. “What are you even talking about? Are you a conspirator or something? It's just a school rumour, don't do a fuss over something so unimportant. You're scaring little Euiwoong.”

Jihoon rose a brow. “ _What_? What makes you think I'm doing conspiracy?”

“You just said those things are related when there is no actual proof of it.”

He scoffed. “But there _is_. Haven't you heard of Flower Boys School, a few years ago? They had almost fifty students suddenly disappeared in only one year, and even nowadays they suddenly vanish. One of them even went to the news, not only the kid his entire family vanished, and they aren't the only case like that. It's like they keep an eye on them whenever those rumours start, and I'd rather not have their eyes on here either.”

Woojin rolled his eyes. “Their school is located in a dangerous place, it doesn't mean they're being kidnapped by the government.”

“I never said _those_ words!”

Haknyeon looked at Jihoon then back at Woojin, not knowing how to react to any of their conversation. Under the table, Euiwoong poked his thigh. “Don't worry, hyung”, he whispered.

Hyeongseop clapped loudly, making both boys sitting at their sides shut up and the other two sitting in front of him now turn their attention to him. “Why are you discussing over _this_? It doesn't matter, _sheesh_ , if I knew you'd be like this I wouldn't say anything. Let's forget I ever opened my mouth and eat.”

“Maybe it's a cue for you to stop spreading rumours hyung”, the youngest boy spoke again, which thankfully made their table's mood less dense.

Haknyeon didn't feel hungry anymore - which was something rare, the boy _loved_ to eat - and couldn't stop over thinking about it. It could be just a stupid rumour… but maybe that meant he wasn't as cautious as he and Euiwoong thought he was, letting traces of his actions. It made him anxious.

But well, he _was_ about to graduate in a few weeks, and the rumours would tune down and he'd be once again safe. He would hopefully enter a university soon and meet new people, and all of this will be forgotten.

Yeah, that seemed like an _amazing_ plan.

“By the way, there's going to be this event at my friend’s university and he invited me and Woojin to come. Any of you interested in it as well?”

Hyeongseop left a gasp. “You're friends with someone attending university? That's so cool.”

“Actually, hyung is Jihoon’s b--”

“Woojin, shush, or I'll tell Hyeongseop _that_ thing.”

The younger boy stopped speaking at the same second. Haknyeon decided it was none of his business. “What is this event about?”

“It's like a talent show? Hyung is performing dance but some other people will perform in bands or sing acapella, it seems to be cool.”

Euiwoong frowned. “That seems like a high school thing.”

“Well, it was the students themselves who planned this so--”

“Maybe they missed high school.”

“Hyeongseop, who'd miss high school after graduating from it?”

“…Point taken, Woojinie.”

The second oldest rolled his eyes at the two. “Anyway, any of you interested?”

“Well… your friend is dancing, right?”, Jihoon nodded at Haknyeon's words. “Then I'll probably be coming. It's been a while since I last saw a dance performance.”

He smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Haknyeon-ah. Anyone else?”

“If hyung’s coming then so am I”, Euiwoong replied, and then high fived said boy sitting by his side.

“I already said I'd attend to see him, so the one left is…”, Woojin turned to see Hyeongseop.

The boy looked back to the younger, and the two stayed a few seconds staring at each other until the older of the two finally understood what the other meant. “I'll be coming, sure! Why not.”

Euiwoong giggled. “Hyung’s so whipped.”

“Shut up you.”

“Well, I'm glad you'll come too!”, Jihoon brightly said. “I'll text you all the info about it later.”

Haknyeon decided to focus on his lunch, but he had to admit, he was a bit excited about this thing. He missed his dance crew, missed dancing. He also missed talking to Changmin, but he'd never tell him that.

* * *

 _‘kyutie-hyong’_ (19:43) 

> (me): CHANGMINIE HYUNG AAAAAHHHHHH
> 
> (me): its me
> 
> (me): eric~♪
> 
> (me): ( • ̀ω•́ )✧
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): i know
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): u message me
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): every single day
> 
> (me): eyyyy stop being so coolllllddddd
> 
> (me): u sound like u dont like talking to me or smth
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): i wonder y u got tht impression
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): actually
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): i dont
> 
> (me): (ुŏ̥̥̥̥םŏ̥̥̥̥) ु
> 
> (me): HYUUUUUNGGGGG
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): yes, ericah?
> 
> (me): its been a while since we last saw eachother!!!
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): we literally saw each other Once
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): by accident
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): and u read my mind
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): nonstop
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): talk abt uncomfy first impressions
> 
> (me): heyyyyyyy idk how to control it!!!!!
> 
> (me): and u gave me the wrong number >:(
> 
> (me): i coudlve lost contact w u!!!!
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): u talk as if it was a bad thing
> 
> (me): (￣◇￣;)
> 
> (me): hyung.
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): yyyyyeees?
> 
> (me): its been a while since we last saw eachother.
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): ye i got it the first time
> 
> (me): nd
> 
> (me): u
> 
> (me): and i
> 
> (me): have a similar interest
> 
> (me): called
> 
> (me): dancing
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): yes we chatted abt it
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): bc u got into my mind and acted like an excited pup
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): i kno
> 
> (me): HYUNG WILL U LEMME CONTINUE
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): sure
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): go ahead, dear dongsaeng
> 
> (me): k so
> 
> (me): a friend invited me to a thing
> 
> (me): and
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): not coming
> 
> (me): AND,,,,,,,,
> 
> (me): its a talent show of some sorts
> 
> (me): at his older bros uni
> 
> (me): theres gonna be dancing :~)
> 
> (me): itll be fun
> 
> (me): ull meet new ppl
> 
> (me): and well
> 
> (me): u aren doing any academic stuff rite?
> 
> (me): u arent in any uni
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): ....
> 
> (me): itll be double good for u
> 
> (me): and
> 
> (me): ill not be alone w bominie and his scary hyung ू(ʚ̴̶̷́ .̠ ʚ̴̶̷̥̀ ू)⁽ƈ
> 
> (me): pls hyunnnngggg
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): ugh
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): imma regret this but
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): when is it
> 
> (me): NICE
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): im still thinking abt it
> 
> (me): itsa progress hyung shh
> 
> (me): but answering u
> 
> (me): itll be next 30th
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): what
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): what a shitty date
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): end of year
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): and sat??????
> 
> (me): agreed but
> 
> (me): lifes shitty
> 
> (me): :/
> 
> (me): sooooooo u coming rite?
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): maybe...
> 
> (me): RITE?????????
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): ..............
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): will u stop bothering me if i say yes
> 
> (me): ,,ye
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): then yes.
> 
> (me): NICE
> 
> (me): GONNA TEL BOMINAH
> 
> (me): THANKS HYUNG
> 
> (me): LOVE U
> 
> (kyutie-hyong): ,,,k.

* * *

_“You think we'll do good tomorrow?”_ , Jacob asked his younger friend out of suddenly. They decided to meet a bit at Kevin's - like they always did - but instead of practising, this time, they were just relaxing. The competition was the next day, but they knew it wouldn't help if they overdid themselves one day before the event. Relaxing would be better.

Kevin stared at him, a glass full of coke in hand. _“What are you saying, dude, of course we will. We practised a lot, us three.”_

 _“Well, I_ did _get added to the b _a_ _nd less than a month ago_.” _

_“But you already fit in so well with us! And it doesn't matter if we win or not, we're going to do our best and have fun. That's the point of the show anyway! Winning would be good, yeah, but it's just a plus.”_

Jacob nodded at this, drinking a bit from his own glass of coke.

“What are you two gossiping about? You know I don't speak a word in English”, they heard Sangyeon say from the kitchen, the older freely getting something to eat from the youngest of the trio’s house. He did spend most of his time in there anyway, Jacob noticed. It was almost like they lived together, he wouldn't be surprised if their small band's vocalist had dibs on the extra bed at the flat. There wasn't even any need for the second bed but, well, it wasn't much of his business anyway.

“We're bad mouthing you, of course”, Kevin spoke with a smirk on. “What else would we talk about, and in English?”

The oldest rolled his eyes yet still sat down by Jacob’s side, who was now being sandwiched by his friends. “You could be talking about so many other things. You could be hiding secrets from me, maybe”, he then forced out a gasp. “Are you two changed people, planning to take over the government, using me to hide your true colours?”

The older of the Canadian duo gulped, panic getting into him for a second. He knew his hyung was just joking about it, but deep inside his brain screamed danger and he wanted to run.

“ _What_? What kind of nonsense is that, hyung!”

“What, that’s possible. Okay, maybe not the coup part, you two are too soft for such hardcore plans...”, he said quietly but then smirked, looking at them again, “or _are_ you? Maybe you’re faking that too?”

“Do you even hear yourself, old man?”, the younger was now laughing at that. “That sounds so stupid, we’ve known each other for so long for you to say that? And how can you even imagine hyung being secretly evil? Jacob-hyung, tell him he’s being insufferable.”

The man didn't move, not really hearing what he had said. Sangyeon moved a hand in front of his face, making the younger stare at him. “Huh?”

“You okay? You spaced out a bit.”

“Yeah, hyung, is something the matter?”

He cleared his throat, suddenly dry. “Sorry, just lost myself in thought for a second, haha”, he nervously drank the rest of his glass, ignoring the staring from both sides.

Kevin decided to let it be, getting up to turn on his console. “Anyway, hyungs, I need some relaxing to do, double majoring and band activities are too much even for me, and tomorrow is going to be a big day. So, any of you wanna get beaten at Mario Cart?”

Sangyeon shrugged. “Nah, I’m good.”

The younger pouted slightly and oh my _god_ he was so cute and wait he was now _staring at you, Jacob!_ “What about you, Jacob? Interested in losing?”

“S- sure, I guess”, he said, ignoring the lack of honorific. He hoped he hadn’t noticed the stuttering.

“Hyung, you should’ve teased me back”, the younger remarked cutely. He would have replied to that but it sounded too corny in his head, so he decided to just focus on the game instead. Tomorrow _would_ be a big day after all, and relaxing wasn't a bad idea, even if he was losing so badly. Kevin was having fun and so was he and Sangyeon, so it was all good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of hate this end tbh but not gonna lie I'm LOVING working on this uwu altho it's also UWU kind of killing me inside **UWU**...... since I'm not on my comfort zone...... but still loving it. **U W U**  
>  well, in a way, we surpassed chapter three AND updates are still quite frequent, which is a record for me, horray!!!!! I remember that when I did my first chaptered attempt ever (in like 2k15? when I started writing) I started posting with already some chapters done, but in this work, every time I post a chapter I'm posting literally all I have so it's being a weird yet cool experience as a writer to write frequently,,,, wow, I called myself a writer. I use to hate the word,,,, WOW anyway I'm trying my best to post twice per month (so once per fortnight?) and so far so good! can't promise I won't delay the rest, but I'm doing my best to make it frequent! I mean, third post in a month? I've been sweating for that!!!  
> by the way. kind of feel like I should've said it ages ago. but I'll almost never explicitly say THIS CHARACTER HAS THIS POWER cuz it ruins the fun ykno. I actually cried when I wrote that sentence for hak saying his powers, but I kind of needed to specify how his power worked.... for reasons. but yeah, won't happen that much. there are characters who havent even revealed their powers, or they're just hinted (or they don't have... wait, this is not considered a spoiler right? fuck, you read nothing!!!!)  
> SEE YUUUUUUUUUU hopefully next to the 22th,,,,,,,,,,,, either way I promise next chap will be less boring


	4. Chapter 3: Meetings, the start of the end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And once they meet, their paths shall be tangled forever, and like a tight knot, it would be practically impossible to make them part alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you mean this was supposed to be posted on the 22nd? I never said that..... I obviously said I'd post on the _week_ of the 22nd...... duh  
>  last update the notes were all cute and hopeful but, this time, they will be chaotic. sorry, but I think it's the third chapter curse: once I posted chap3 I stayed an ENTIRE week without knowing how to update and just staring at the void, then in the meantime I worked on last year's wips aaaaand [a clc fanfiction that got ignored as no one and their moms read for clc](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13336566) while ignoring this completely and then 22nd was getting closer and I started to cry internally. then I started working on it. but it's all good, because you now have another update! altho I feel like it's just as boring as the last one sorry for lying and saying this would be less boring. I must be the shittiest writer for chaptered fics. this will probably be my last one lol but I will BLEED to not give up in this and make it complete! even if it take years!!!!!! pls trust me yall!!!!!!!!!!  
> also, don't know if yall noticed, but on the 21st I added a new relationship tag yet removed it on the 22nd. I was thinking on making another relationship "canon", and although I still think they'll end up together or at least with mutual feelings I think it's too early to confirm it.... Because of reasons,,,,, I can tell yall sangkev will only remain platonic but that's all,, (I must be really annoying by trying to explain things then stopping myself because I'm afraid I'll spoil...... Sorry,,,,, I think there's too much omitted but at the same time I want to clarify some stuff that's why. Sorry again ha,,,,,)  
> pls enjoy yet another boring chapter by yours truly. ~~I admit not properly betaing this so I might edit this later! sorry;;; I wanted to post already~~ edit 0129: i edited it! but it also means i added new stuff, as you can see the word count increased. please read it again if you read it before today! sorry again!

“Hyung, you came!”

Changmin turned to look at the direction of the voice, quickly spotting Eric (it'd be hard not to, he was excitedly waving in his direction after all). He left a sigh before moving towards the younger, wondering that maybe he shouldn't have come and then ignore the shorter boy’s future messages.

The older realized there was a very tall duo by his dongsaengs side and yeah, he should have stayed home. He wasn't really in the mood to interact with people.

“So, Bomin! This is Changminie-hyung, the one I told you about. Hyung, this is Bomin”, Eric pointed at the cuter one, “and this is Sungyoonie-hyung, Bomin’s older brother!”, he said, pointing at the smaller yet clearly older man.

“Nice to meet you”, Changmin nodded respectfully.

“Likewise”, the older spoke. “Uh, if you let me ask, how old are you, Changmin-ssi?”

“I just turned twenty recently.”

“Ah, I'm older then”, he said smiling. “Well, kids, I'll get going now, we have some last minute things to check. I just came here to drop Bomin with you two.”

“I'm eighteen not eight…”

The older boy smiled at them and left, leaving the trio by themselves. Didn't Eric say he was only inviting him because of this scary hyung? He wasn't scary at all, and now he left? Huh. He really should have stayed home.

Said boy smiled at the oldest of the trio, calmly putting his hand on his shoulder. Changmin would refute the sudden skin touch, but decided to ignore. “Hey, hyung, you hungry? I heard there are some food trucks on the other campus, it'll be my treat! Consider it as a thank you for coming.”

Scratch that about staying home. _Free food_? Changmin was so glad he went to this dumb talent show.

“So, how do you know each other?”, Bomin asked casually, a big bright smile on his face. “Eric never mentioned it, he just one day started talking about this one ‘ _hella cool hyung_ ’ he befriended.”

The younger boy playfully slapped his classmate’s shoulder, feeling offended by the bad imitation of his ‘hella cool hyung’ quote. Changmin was deep down amused by that.

“We ended up meeting in a cafe.”

Bomin gasped. “No way, that's so romantic.”

Both boys stared at him unamused. The kid dared to  _giggle_.

“Anyway, I ended up bumping into him and he thought it was a good idea to just ramble about his life and then we noticed we had a lot of… things in common and somehow we're here.”

“That was _not_ it! You're omitting a lot of stuff, you're making me sound like an annoying brat who bother strangers”, the boy said, pouting. It obviously wasn't, but none of the two could actually tell the bunny kid how they bonded. Changmin was just changing one detail here and there and, well, Eric could probably tell his intentions. He just wasn't liking how the older portrayed him and that amused Changmin a _lot_.

Bomin smiled at the two of them. “Well, I can actually see that happening. It was how Eric and I befriended too, he sat by side and didn't stop talking and somehow we clicked.”

“Hyung doesn't need to know that!”

The older boy was about to make fun of Eric when he felt a hand poke him. He turned to look who it was, seeing a person he thought he'd never see again.

“Ch- Changmin-hyung?”

…

Younghoon felt like he was forgetting something.

He looked around his university campus: it was way too crowded considering it was Saturday and, more importantly, it would be New Years soon. So there really wasn't any reason for the place to be so full.

“Oh, Younghoon-ah! I wasn't expecting you to come today”, he heard a familiar voice.

He turned to its direction to find his favourite senior staring at him; she had a small smile on her lips but he didn't know her so well he'd probably think she was expressionless, like a stone. “Nayoung-noona, hey. I had plans of studying today but I don't think I'll have a quiet place today.”

The older girl looked at him funnily. “Why would you want to study on the same day of our show?”

He blinked. “What… _show_?”

“How come you didn't know? The talent show!”

Ah. _That_. He had forgotten completely - because, in his mind, it was very stupid - and it actually made a lot of sense. He sighed, he really wanted to avoid people. That was the reason he wanted to study in the first place, no one entered the campus’ library after the finals, he'd have peace. But that went away now. He should've stayed home.”

“Well, but now that you're here you could watch the show, hm? My girlfriend is going to compete in the dance competition, you know her, Jieqiong?”

He nodded slowly. “I don't think I should stay, sorry noona. I'm not good with that many people, you know.”

She looked a bit disappointed but she didn't press it. She understood what he meant. “It's okay, Younghoon-ah. I’ll record it all so I can show it off to you later. Happy New Year, by the way! Don’t think I’ll see you until next year.”

The boy laughed at that. “Thanks noona, you too.”

He was quick to turn around and leave the campus, walking his previous steps again but in the opposite direction. He was lucky his frat wasn't too far from the university campus, so he could just walk. He could even enter one convenience store and get himself some bread and chocolate milk, and once the thought crossed his mind he didn't find the idea bad, making a turn towards the closest store.

Or, well, he tried to.

“Aish, it's not here”, he heard from afar, and for some reason, he could feel his body shiver and freeze in place, as if he was unable to move. Something in that voice for his attention and, once he found the owner of that voice, he realized why it made him react like that. He had accidentally found something he’d rather not to.

Or, well, _someone_.

He remembered his face from the files on that _stupid_ organization, and if he was around there could only mean bad news.  For some reason, he could hear the slightly younger friend telling him how good of an opportunity this was. This must have even destiny, when else will you pass by someone like him? Someone like _Bae Junyoung_? It was now or never, Kim Younghoon!

 _Shit_. Jaehyun was right all along.

He sighed, moving towards the figure.

_…_

Sangyeon looked at his phone, no new messages. His newest message was from Kevin, saying he'd be at the campus in ten. That was almost half an hour ago and Jacob still hasn't given him a sign of being on his way either. Sure, the show wouldn't start before two in the afternoon and it was barely midday, but they still had to be all by midday and a half so the people in charge of the show to mark their presence and then inform then when will their turn be.

He sighed, deciding to call Kevin who, hopefully, answered in a couple of rings.

“Yeah, hyung?”

“Where are you?” 

Kevin made a long _‘uhhh’_ sound before answering, but only by that Sangyeon knew the younger would lie. “I'm on my way?”, he tried, voice low yet pitch higher than his usual sweet voice.

The older sighed. “You do know I can tell when you're lying right?”

“Okay hyung so I _might_ have decided to watch a single episode of this series before leaving and I _might_ have lost track of time but it's okay! I really am heading straight to the campus this time, I swear on my drums.”

Sangyeon rolled his eyes and, probably, the Canadian boy could tell without being there to see, laughing a second later. “Have Jacob contacted you, by the way?”

“Jacob-hyung? He hasn't, why? Should he?”

“He didn't arrive yet, can you try to contact him or something? Maybe he's lost, but since he didn't contact any of us it might not be it.”

The younger boy snorted on the other side of the line. “I won't believe if that hyung really got lost, I gave all the instructions through texting yesterday! Even sent him a map! He said he'd find the place as if it was his way home”, Kevin sighed. “Okay hyung, don't worry I'll give him a call before leaving.”

“Alright, come as fast as you can.”

“Yes  _dad_ ”, he laughed, ending the call.

The Korean man sighed to himself, a bit bored. His two dongsaengs would take a while to arrive, and the show itself would also take a couple of hours. Which meant he would have to stay by himself for a couple of hours.

He decided to open his laptop and check the music they'd perform, and maybe even compose something new during his boredom.

…

His hyung gasped loudly, eyeing the person who poked him. “Haknyeon?”

“Changmin-hyung! Oh my God, hyung!”

Eric stared at the new face, then at his recent friend, then back at the other boy, not really understanding what was happening. Both of them were also so confused, their thoughts weren't really helpful. He decided to stay out of it, staring at them by Bomin’s side who was mirroring his confusion.

The two boys stared at each other for a few seconds until the younger opened his arms the widest he could, later on hugging him tightly. “Holy hell, you're-- you're really in front of me!”

The shorter of the two was smiling but didn't think twice before playfully slapping his dongsaeng’s shoulder. “Yah, you stupid asshole, what did I say about not keeping in touch!”

The new face - Haknyeon, both their minds told him - looked taken aback for a second, but didn’t think twice before shouting back, a small smile on his lips.  “I tried contacting you! Ouch, stop hitting me, it's not my fault!”

“I said I'd hunt you down, didn't I! It's your punishment!”

The smaller man decided to interfere, cleaning his throat before asking what the hell was going on. It was kind of hilarious how shy the oldest felt by acting like that in front of Eric, while Haknyeon was embarrassed at himself for not noticing Changmin had company.

“Sorry, this is an old friend of mine, Haknyeon, we used to do dance classes together. And this is, well”, he paused to stare at the other boy before speaking again, “Eric. He also likes dancing. And this is his friend Bomin, we just met so I don't know much about him.”

Eric nodded his head respectfully, poking Bomin to do the same. He was their hyung after all.

“So, hyung, what are you doing here? Do you study here? Oh, that must be so cool! Are you performing then? I hope so! It's been so long since I last saw you dance--”

 _Wow, I forgot how talkative you are, kid_ , Changmin’s thoughts echoed. Eric tried not to laugh. “Actually I'm just being those kids’ babysitter, and to watch the show.”

The youngest looked offended at that. “Hyung, we're eighteen, not eight!”

Haknyeon blinked. “I'm the second oldest here? Woah, hyung, I thought you hated kids.”

“I do, it's a long story” _that I doubt I can tell you_ , he mentally added. Eric decided to question him about it later.

“So, what about you, Haknyeon-ah? I’m pretty sure you’re not old enough to university.”

The boy pouted. “I will be in a few days, okay? But yeah, some friends invited me to come see the show but I can’t find them. They aren’t answering my messages too.”

Bomin smiled at the two close friends. “You can stay with us in the meantime! Until your friends appear.”

The three of them stared at the bunny boy, all with different expressions. Eric was expressionless, not really knowing what to think of his friend’s idea. Changmin was nervous, he could sense his hyung was awkward with the younger boy since they stayed so long out of touch. Haknyeon though, smiled like the sun. “Can I? That would be cool actually! We can get acquainted and also hyung could tell me what he’s been doing this time we lost contact. That sounds like an amazing idea, Bomin-ah! I mean, I can call you Bomin-ah, right? We just met so I don’t know if you feel comfortable with dropping honorifics.”

“Uhh, sure?”, the boy tried.

“Nice! Oh, and talking about contacts, we should exchange phone numbers! Right, hyung? Since you don’t have my number anymore.”

 _Now_ Eric was smiling. “Oh, I can give you myself! I feel like we’re going to be great friends!”

Haknyeon now looked at the L.A. boy. “Why is that?”

“You’re so energetic! And talkative! Changminie-hyung is kind of dead most of the time we chat and Bomin doesn’t follow my pace that much! We can talk about hyung behind his back and also about dancing, what you think?”

The older boy smiled at him. “That also sounds like an amazing idea!”

Behind the two of them, Changmin sighed. Bomin just patted his shoulder, sympathizing.

…

Jacob was lost. He looked left and right and couldn't recognize the place he was in, nor the streets name. He obviously turned somewhere he shouldn't and now was here. He felt like groaning, he kind of had a feeling something bad would happen today but wasn't expecting himself to get lost.

He started moving, phone in hand but it was useless as it died as soon as he tried to call Kevin. He would have to probably ask someone to give him instructions--

“Hey, are you okay?”

He quickly turned to the voice, obviously not startled by the sudden voice. A very handsome boy was looking at him with a blank expression he couldn't tell. For some reason, he felt attracted to him. Not like a romantic or sexual attraction, but it was like something was pulling him towards the stranger, and it honestly reminded him of Sangyeon and Kevin. He could remember feeling like that with both of them, and, well, it was probably something good. He clicked really fast with his fellow Canadian friend, and the older band member was just as friendly, both very trustworthy, so there was no reason to _not_ think so this time with this person.

 _You should not trust anyone_ , his grandpa's voice echoed at the back of his mind. Jacob ignored it.

“Uhh, actually I'm lost”, he honestly admitted, without second thoughts.

The boy nodded slowly. “Where are you headed to?”

Jacob stayed a few seconds trying to remember the name of the place. “I think it was called Yonseng? It's a university.”

The stranger blinked. “You mean Yonsei University?”, the Canadian nodded delightedly. “It's actually not that far, I can take you there if you'd like.”

“Really? Oh my God thank you _so_ much! Er…”

“Younghoon. I'm Kim Younghoon, and you're…? If I can ask.”

The two started walking calmly. “Ah, I'm Jacob Bae.”

“Jacob? You're American?”

“Canadian actually”, he said smiling.

The man-- no, Younghoon smiled sweetly. “Your Korean is pretty good though, I imagined you were from Korea, maybe more into the countryside because of your accent but still, in Korea.”

“Ah, my family is all Korean so I had to speak Korean at home, also I often visited my family when I was younger. Now I moved to study here.”

He hummed. “Do you have a Korean name then?”

That made the foreigner rise his brow. “Is my name that hard to pronounce?”

He looked nervous for a second but quickly replied, trying to cover it. “No, I was just curious. I know that some Korean families give two names to their kids when they live outside the country. Sorry if it was offensive.”

“It wasn't, I just wasn't expecting it”, he admitted with a sweet smile. I actually do have a Korean name, I just don't really like using it. I think it's still awkward for me? Only my grandparents would use it so yeah. Guess that's why.”

His new acquainted nodded. They stayed a few steps in silence until he spoke again. “So, you play the guitar?”

Jacob looked at his guitar cover that was at his back. “I do! I used to only play for fun but then a friend requested me to join his band and I ended up joining.”

“You play in a _band_! That's so cool. You must be the type to play romantic music, those sappy ones.”

The musician made a face at that. “Are you making fun of me? We barely met.”

“What? No no no, it's just an innocent guess. Why, am I completely wrong?”

The boy decided to smirk teasingly. “I don't know, why don't you see yourself? I'm actually going to Yonsei to play.”

Jacob looked at the other's face after saying that, he wanted to know what would be his reaction but, sadly, his expression didn't change much and they remained another few steps in an awkward silence.

“You're playing in the talent show? I thought only students could join.”

“My members are both students so they let it slide. Besides, they stayed the entire year waiting for a guitarist and now that they have one they wanted to perform already”, he said, but only a few steps later he noticed something. “Wait, how do you know about the show--”

“I study there so I heard a lot about it”, Younghoon said smiling and okay, that made sense. “Your friends must be eager”, he added without thinking and after a beat he realized it. “Sorry, I shouldn't have--”

“No, it's okay. You're right actually,” he laughed. “They both grow up with music in different ways I guess. Sangyeon-hyung is actually majoring in the subject, and he's our main composer too. Kevin plays more as a hobby, he's actually a nerd in arts in general. He's also learning psychology but I think he's going to drop it soon, I hope so at least. He looks dead in most of our practices. But yeah they're pretty good and they know it, then there's me.”

“Come on, give yourself more credit. You must be an amazing guitarist if they added you just recently and already want to perform.”

Jacob blushed at that. “You'll make me embarrassed if you put it that way. You haven't even met the other two.”

“You know what?”, Younghoon said. “I will stay and watch your performance. I actually planned to do stuff but I’ll give it a go.”

“R- really? That’d be awesome, but you don’t need to cancel your plans for that.”

The man smiled at that. “My plans were studying, I think I can skip it.”

Jacob looked offended at that. “Who studies on the last few days of the year? Don’t tell me you spent your Christmas studying as well!”

Younghoon didn’t say a thing.

“I can’t believe. Give me your phone.”

“What? Why for--”

“So we can hang out, of course!”, the Canadian said casually. “You seem interesting, and it’s not healthy to stay in front of the books all the time you know. I could ring if I get lost again.”

He seemed to want to refute, but then handed Jacob his phone. “Don’t save it with a weird name.”

“Don’t worry, Younghoon-ah~. We’re friends now.”

“Are we? I don’t even know your age.”

“I’ll be twenty two next year.”

The other boy pouted. “Okay, we’re friends.”

“Oh, you too! Then I can be informal right, Younghoon-ah?”

He rolled his eyes. “I should have left you lost.”

The Canadian just laughed. He was glad he was getting friends outside his country, Sangyeon, Kevin, and now Younghoon. Maybe moving to Korea wasn’t bad after all.

* * *

‘hyunjae and the boyz’ (12:49)

> (the hyung): yo any of u around or
> 
> (the boy 1): chanhees resting
> 
> (the boy 1): y
> 
> (the hyung): i got info abt chanhees boy
> 
> (the boy 2): not my boy
> 
> (the hyung): werent u resting
> 
> (the boy 2): i am?
> 
> (the hyung): chanhee.... stop messin w ur phone data while youre asleep thats creepy
> 
> (the boy 2): i wanted to clear my mind hyung then i got the notific nd decided to check, it is important after all
> 
> (the boy 1): okay so abt the boy?
> 
> (the boy 1): can we call him the boy 3 btw
> 
> (the boy 2): ignore him hyung
> 
> (the hyung): k so
> 
> (the hyung): hes named hur hyunjun
> 
> (the hyung): and u called it, he got mind controlling
> 
> (the hyung): and yes the kid is part of their project but i didnt get much details cuz i feared someone could track i was the one looking for his info and idk get killed or smth
> 
> (the hyung): but i know theres something abt his ability and they are testing it
> 
> (the boy 1): such as
> 
> (the boy 2): uhhh i have an idea
> 
> (the boy 2): something similar to what he did to me?
> 
> (the hyung): i think so too, ye
> 
> (the boy 1): wdym
> 
> (the boy 2): trying to get into my mind by using my own ability as his path
> 
> (the boy 2): idk how to explain it better
> 
> (the boy 2): hes being instructed to try to develop his ability into something bigger, beyond mind controlling
> 
> (the boy 1): huh,,,
> 
> (the hyung): anyway
> 
> (the hyung): i dont think hes dangerous
> 
> (the hyung): in fact, he could be by our side
> 
> (the hyung): i had the feeling he isnt doing what hes told because he wants to or because he is siding with the organization
> 
> (the hyung): but more like... he got no choice
> 
> (the hyung): and that hes being kept as a weapon or something
> 
> (the hyung): or being trained as a soldier
> 
> (the hyung): not sure tho, i didnt findmuch because i almost got caught
> 
> (the boy 1): be careful hyung :/
> 
> (the boy 2): ye hyung youre the only one inside their territory now
> 
> (the boy 2): plus they can be really harmful
> 
> (the boy 1): yeh,,, youre risking a lot,,,, and well, if they lose the trust they have on you...
> 
> (the boy 1): well, i dont wanna thing abt it
> 
> (the hyung): neither
> 
> (the hyung): but dont worry kids im doing my best
> 
> (the hyung): to both help u 2 and trying to not fuck up
> 
> (the hyung): anyway, i better get going before they decide to track me, im stil on woking hours u know
> 
> (the hyung): it was just smol update time will lee jaehyun! wink
> 
> (the hyung): later kids
> 
> (the boy 1): be safe !!!!
> 
> (the boy 2): see ya.

* * *

“It is time to eat”, Haknyeon declared with a huge smile.

“It is time to watch the show”, Eric refuted. “You ate for the last two hours, hyung.”

Haknyeon pouted.

“Come on, Haknyeon-ah, Eric's right”, his long time hyung said, patting his hair like he used to. The younger boy was still a bit sad - he was starving! - but the gesture made him soft up.

“Haknyeon-hyung, didn't your friends contact you still? It's been a while”, Bomin pointed out and he was right. They should have arrived at least two hours ago, but none of his friends contacted him.

“I will call them then”, he decided, leaving the trio so he could get some quiet during the call. Considering the idea came from Jihoon, he thought it'd be reasonable to call the slightly younger boy.

He answered the call pretty fast, which was unusual for him. “Haknyeon-ah! Where the hell did you end up? We had a deal to meet in the library!”

“I-- I _know_! I’ve been looking for you all for the past two hours or so!”

“Two hours?”, Jihoon sounded confused at that. “The show only starts at two pm!”

“Yeah, but you said the gates would open around eleven then said to meet in front of the library!”

His classmate sighed. “ _No_ , Haknyeon, the deal was to be in front of the library before two, but if you wanted you could arrive early in case you wanted to explore the campus or eat something in the food trucks _because_ the gates would open at half past eleven.”

“He must have only heard the food part”, he heard a muffled voice say, but he could tell it was Hyeongseop, otherwise, the phone wouldn’t have caught it. He was _that_ loud.

“Oh... my bad then. Where are you now? I can go find you.”

Jihoon laughed. “We’re already inside the auditorium, there aren’t many people here yet so you can still sit with us.”

“Okay. Oh by the way, I’m with three friends of mine, can they come sit together?”  
“Of course! Why not? But you’re coming, right?”

“Yup, right away. See ya!”, and with that, he ended the call.

“So?”, Eric asked.

“They're waiting for me, and also they said you three could sit with us.”

“No”, Changmin was quick to refute. “Four is already a big party, and you probably have ten friends waiting for you.”

“Come on hyung, they're cool! There is only four of them! Jihoon, Woojin, Hyeongseop and Euiwoong! Ple~ase!”

Eric stood next to Haknyeon, crossing his arms. “Yeah hyung, stop being an antisocial party pooper.”

Bomin blinked. “I didn't say a think, hyung.”

The older sighed. I should've stayed home. Sure, let's go I guess.”

“Horray!”, Haknyeon and Eric both said at the same time, high fiving each other.

“I guess we should follow them hyung”, the bunny boy said to the older. Changmin just sighed a second time, waking behind his dongsaengs.

…

Kevin gasped loudly. “Isn’t that hyung? Finally!”

His older friend looked at where he was pointing, seeing their late friend walking towards them casually - and with a stranger by his side? They were both chatting lively, laughing at each other, and _maybe_ it made the youngest of the trio feel something, but couldn’t exactly name it. He decided to ignore that.

“Hey, you two. You haven’t been waiting for me much, right?”

“No, just almost an hour”, the oldest said with a forced smile. Kevin knew he was teasing, and he hoped Jacob did too, since they met for less than a month, but by the small smile that did not fade after his words he supposed his the older boy understood. The stranger, though, looked at the two of them not knowing how to react.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

“Oh, so rude of me! This is Younghoonie, he helped me find the campus when I got lost. This is Sangyeon-hyung, the leader and founder of the band, and this is Kevin, he’s also Canadian!”

The shortest boy nodded at the other respectfully, but inside his mind was chaotic. He already knew about the band? He had already dropped honorifics? And they met just recently? Jacob surely trusted people way too fast, open to befriending anyone.

The feeling returned, but Kevin wanted to pretend it didn’t.

“Have I seen you around?”, the oldest spoke, cutting through Kevin’s line of thoughts. “You seem familiar.”

Younghoon blinked. “Well, you two study here right? I do too. I barely hang out, but maybe we crossed ways once or twice.”

“Oh, really? What’s your major?”

“I’m a--”

“Hyungs”, Kevin interrupted the two. “Not to be rude but we really should get going, you know.”

Sangyeon opened his mouth quickly, then shut it. “You’re right, sorry Younghoon-ssi, we’re already behind schedule.”

“It’s okay, I took enough of your time. By the way, feel free to call me informally. Jacob told me you’re a year older.”

The older nodded at that. “Well, we’ll see each other around then, right, Younghoon-ah? But we gotta go now.”

“You’ll watch us, right, Younghoon-ah?”

Said man smiled sweetly at Jacob and honestly, Kevin wasn’t really amused by that.

“Yeah, don’t miss us. See ya later, hyung”, Kevin said before he could reply and automatically took Jacob’s arms to pull him together. “I can’t believe you got lost, you told me you understood the way.”

“ _I thought I did!_ ”, he said, switching to English without realizing. “ _I thought I was going to the right way but then I didn’t recognize where I was._ ”

“ _You should’ve just gone back to where you were until you found yourself again._ ”

He made an apologetic face. “ _Maybe it would’ve been worse. But I’m here now, aren’t I? So it’s all good._ ”

“I hope you’re not giving any excuses to our Kevinie”, Sangyeon then said.

“He was, can you believe him, hyung?”

“I was _not_!”

Kevin rolled his eyes jokingly.

“Well, kids, explanations can come later. Let’s hurry otherwise we will make everyone in the show late and then next year our classmates will want to murder us.”

Jacob shrugged. “Good thing I’m a student somewhere else.”

The younger stared at his Canadian friend, who just laughed at it.

“It was a joke!”

* * *

 _‘annoying brat’_ (19:42pm)

 

> (annoying brat): changminiehyung, hey
> 
> (annoying brat): just wanted 2 say thx 4 comin
> 
> (annoying brat): sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo thx 4 comin!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> (annoying brat): ∩(︶▽︶)∩
> 
> (annoying brat): u had fun riiiiite?
> 
> (annoying brat): =￣ω￣=
> 
> (me): we literally saw each other hours ago chill sohn eric
> 
> (annoying brat): u did, didnt u
> 
> (annoying brat): but ure 2 tsundere to admit
> 
> (me): tsundere...?
> 
> (annoying brat): i had fun too! it was sooooo cooooollll
> 
> (annoying brat): srsly im glad u came
> 
> (annoying brat): also glad to meet hak hyungie!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> (annoying brat): ヾ（*⌒ヮ⌒*）ゞ
> 
> (me): ah ye
> 
> (me): haknyeonie...
> 
> (annoying brat): yup
> 
> (annoying brat): u shouldve told me im not the first gifted u met
> 
> (annoying brat): i felt betrayed
> 
> (annoying brat): (⌣_⌣”)
> 
> (me): wh
> 
> (me): WHAT???????????
> 
> (annoying brat): ....
> 
> (annoying brat): u didnt knew?
> 
> (annoying brat): well damn.
> 
> (annoying brat): forget u saw it
> 
> (me): u think i’m dumb??????????????? i wont forget it that easily
> 
> (me): probably never
> 
> (me): but hey i had no idea?????????
> 
> (me): well, i was never open abt it so yeh
> 
> (me): i understand why he didnt tell me
> 
> (me): i didnt tell him either
> 
> (annoying brat): ah
> 
> (annoying brat): that makes sense,,,
> 
> (annoying brat): uhhhhhhh dont tell him i told u
> 
> (annoying brat): actually he doesnt know i know
> 
> (annoying brat): nd i dont know how to bring it up
> 
> (annoying brat): cuz like we just met today
> 
> (me): why am i not surprised
> 
> (me): u read his mind didnt u
> 
> (annoying brat): i cant helppppp ittttttttttttttttttt
> 
> (me): its ok i believe u
> 
> (annoying brat): do u
> 
> (me): ofc
> 
> (me): it happened so many times now
> 
> (me): and u get so flustered when talking abt it
> 
> (me): you cant be tht good of an actor
> 
> (annoying brat): (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
> 
> (annoying brat): k
> 
> (annoying brat): anyway
> 
> (annoying brat): (❀◦‿◦)
> 
> (annoying brat): u had fun rite hyuuuuuung?
> 
> (annoying brat): u loved it
> 
> (annoying brat): and loved meeting me once again
> 
> (annoying brat): rite?
> 
> (annoying brat): (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
> 
> (me): good night ericah
> 
> (annoying brat): wh
> 
> (annoying brat): hyung
> 
> (annoying brat): answer me
> 
> (annoying brat): hyungah!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> (annoying brat): cant believe u went to sleep and left me hanging........

* * *

‘unknown number’ (20:31pm)

> (unknown number): uhhh hey
> 
> (unknown number): jacob?
> 
> (unknown number): its younghoon
> 
> (me): oh heyyyyy younghoonah!!!
> 
> (me): wasnt expecting a message so early

save new contact?

 **yes**  no

new contact name: _younghoonie_

> (younghoonie): ah
> 
> (younghoonie): should i not have
> 
> (younghoonie): idk,,,
> 
> (me): nononononono its ok!!!!!!
> 
> (me): u seem the shy type so i thought youd wait a day or two to contact me back
> 
> (me): or forget it :o
> 
> (younghoonie): why would i forget you
> 
> (younghoonie): we had a nice chat and u seem cool
> 
> (me): right back at u!
> 
> (me): if u didnt help me id missed the show :(
> 
> (younghoonie): dont fret
> 
> (younghoonie): youre welcome?
> 
> (me): sdjhfskjs
> 
> (younghoonie): i was thinking
> 
> (younghoonie): maybe we should hang more times?
> 
> (younghoonie): you can invite your friends too, they seemed fun
> 
> (younghoonie): although i didnt have a proper conversation with them...
> 
> (me): now?
> 
> (younghoonie): wha no--!!
> 
> (younghoonie)i meant like
> 
> (younghoonie): soon? more around mid january ofc
> 
> (younghoonie): it’s new years in a couple of days and the few places that open will be full
> 
> (me): haha ur right
> 
> (me): well

Jacob stared at the message for a few seconds, his grandpa’s voice once again whispering in his head. It didn’t it make sense for it to start now, when he felt the exact same thing with Kevin and Sangyeon yet the memory didn’t return to him. But with Younghoon, it was like his defences went up without a second thought, or even a _first_ thought, and as much as he wanted to blindly believe on the slightly younger, it deep down worried him.

He sighed. He’d just need to be careful then, right? 

> (me): ...why not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Eric voice) By The Way, there is also this [the boyz fic fest](https://twitter.com/tbzficfest?s=09) that opened up recently and I'm gonna join in this first round (I already claimed one prompt hehe, I love sunhee but here, sunhak is important for rrrrrrreasons, so I couldn't write them :( and I'm considering claiming another one because I wrote the sunhee wayyyyy too fast ( _seriously _it's not done but it's like???????? half done????????? and it's been a few days????? and while I wrote that I was also finishing this chapter imagine without nothing else to write) also not many people are claiming which is a pity because most prompts are gold,,,,), so yey more the boyz content! also, if you're interested, claim prompts and write!!!!!!!!!!!!! it'll be until the 28th, but if writing isn't your thing they are also open for beta readers and, well, I'll need one (maybe two) sooooo there's that too. but don't worry, I am not going to delay this at least for more two chapters, because my classes only starts in the first week of march. until then... updater will still be once in around a fortnight. (fortnight is a pretty word don't @ me for using it too much)__  
>  oh and on a side note..... sHUT UP [CHOI BOMIN (FROM GOLCHA) AND MISTER ERIC YOUNJAE SOHN ACTUALLY INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER (ALONGSIDE HWALL) DURINC ISCA I'M SHAKING](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMl8EKPq1RQ) THIS IS SCO CUTE MY BABY SONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HYUNG HEART DIED AND I GOT FLASHBACSK FROM THIS FANFIC THE SDJFHKHSKFJSKFLD sorry.  
> there were other golden boyz interactions and I cries while watching all of them. psa.


	5. Chapter 4: Twisting, quietly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet no one ever said that them meeting was a good thing. It was determined by fate, yes. But fate wasn’t always right, or better put, fate wasn’t always nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start this chapter by saying **if you read the previous chapter before january 29th, reread it!** as I said I would, I edited it but I also added stuff dkhskfsdfks more specifically I added two chatlogs on the end and edited younghoon's scene as well as some other very minor things (which added like 800 words into the previous chapter), I think it would be better if you reread it.  
>  second, SORRY for saying I'd upload twice this month but only doing it once (which is this). I should have posted on the week of the 5th but shit happened on that exact same week and then I used the next week to rest, also I told myself I would not let the fic fest prompts to take all of my time but because of the shit that happened the little time I had ENDED UP being for that which made me not write this until the 17th and only finished now, nearly a month after the previous chapter. I suck, sorry. but hey at least I not only was on time with the fic fest they've been ready for weeks! only need to be betaed but it's okay. so it means I'll soon post more the boyz content! so it's not all bad.  
> and a minor point, I changed the chap summaries a bit! I've been doing them like they were a story apart (like a prophesy?) and then after I put them in one single document it looked ugly. it didn't look,,,, unified? but random, which was also how they were born, even if i wanted them to be connected in a certain way. they're the same than before, i just changed it a tiiiiiiny bit.  
> unbetaed again because i was wayyy behind schedule so once i finished i posted it, but i promise when i beta it you won't need to reread the chapter. anyway, enough rambling. enjoy this chapter! it's not boring or plotless this time so i really do hope you will all enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!

His dream has changed. Sangyeon did not know _how_ exactly, as he often only remembered flashes when he woke up, but he was certain that something was off, because his dream definitely has changed.

For starters, it didn't go into the chaos right away. He somehow knew that, usually, his dreams - or should he call them nightmares? - would always begin with chaos. Be it people in panic, somewhere in ruins, or a morbid scenario. Either way they always started badly, and it remained bad until the moment he opened his eyes. A _true_ nightmare.

This time, however, Sangyeon remembers feeling safe. Maybe some kind of joy too, as he was with a group of people who seemed friendly, and he had the feeling he knew them somehow. Maybe it was Kevin and some other people, or maybe it was just that they’ve seen them in his dreams before. Maybe it was both. For some reason he couldn’t remember any of their faces, but he was sure there were around ten others with him. Or was it less? It felt crowded, so it was probably around ten, plus himself. Or maybe the place they were in was too small for them all, them all in a small house or apartment. He could only remember flashes and laughter, it seemed like they had all gathered at someone’s house and had fun by themselves, and for once he enjoyed whatever dream he was having this time.

But then, as if there was a breaking point in it, the house went dark. It wasn't like a blackout, it felt more like someone had turned the entire sky off, letting only a faint light from lamps somewhere in the living room make the place visible. There was something wrong with one of his friends, he couldn't see their face but he simply could tell. Their hands were locked on their hair, their body cringing forward as if they were in pain. Some of the others were panicking at the scene like they knew that whatever happened afterwards would be bad. Some were just confused, but Sangyeon just wanted to help them to stop suffering. He didn't know how, but he didn't get the change to anyway because he found himself stuck in place, he couldn't move a muscle. Maybe he should scream instead, but not even that part of his body wanted to move.

One of them moved towards the one in pain - who maybe was shining? Sangyeon wasn't sure, except that a weird light had at some point started to shine next to them -, and for some reason this new person was calm. They seemed to know what to do, arm now slowly making its way to the other.

But then it touched their shoulder, and Sangyeon remembers the light getting brighter, a loud explosion sound meeting his ears and he felt some force pulling him backwards. He should have closed his eyes, but for some reason he decided to fight the urge and stare at the duo who were now---

“Earth to Lee Sangyeon?”

He blinked a few times, mind returning to the real world. Yeah, last night was one of those nights where his dreams - or should he keep calling them nightmares? - became really vivid and bother him for hours. It was afternoon and he was out with his two Canadian friends yet he was _still_ thinking about it. Maybe it'll bother him for days this time. It made sense, it was so vivid this time.

“Is he alright?”, he heard someone whisper to Kevin and-- oh, _yeah_ , Younghoon was here with them too. He forgot he was around, he was so quiet and... observing.

The youngest, for some reason, ignored him and kept his attention on his childhood friend. “You spaced out for a while, and you seem tired. Are you okay, hyung?”

“Yeah, just-- the same as always, you know.”

Kevin nodded, but Jacob tilted his head. “What do you mean, the same as always?”

The two long time best friends shared a glare. Sangyeon wasn't the type to be super open to friends he just recently made and although he really liked Jacob he _was_ a friend of only two, nearly three months. And there was also Younghoon, whom he met less than a month before. He was definitely not telling him, even if he seemed just as harmless as the other ninety seven liner. He shrugged. “It's nothing to worry about, it isn't that serious.”

Kevin stared for another second until he decided to let it be, and Sangyeon was _sure_ the younger would pester him about it later. He was really worried (or was it more like a concern?) about those dreams, but really, it couldn't be _that_ bad. They were just nightmares. _Definitely_ harmless.

“Anyway, let's change the subject, alright? Like, what are your major, Younghoon-ah?”

Said boy blinked a few times, realizing a bit later that the trio’s attention was all on him. “I, uh, major biology.”

“Oh that's so cool”, Jacob said a little too excited, but knowing the boy he was probably really interested in it. “In which area are you specializing in? Or areas.”

“I'm still torn between physiology and genetics, but I'll probably pick the latter. I… would like to be a scientist in either area”, Younghoon answered in whispers and it almost felt like he was too shy to reveal it, as if he was telling one of his biggest secret in life.

“Why don't you do both?”, Kevin butted in. “I mean, they're quite related, right?”

Sangyeon scoffed. “Is that your motto? _Why not both_?”

The younger Canadian showed him his tongue, but still replied his hyung with a “maybe it is.”

Younghoon was the only at their table confused. “Why, Is he bad at picking stuff?”

“Yeah. This kid tried double majoring last year.”

“Come on, hyung! I passed for both so why not? But I've dropped psychology, I didn't really have the time for both majors.”

Younghoon tilted his head quietly. “So are you majoring in music now? Like your hyungs?”

Kevin made a thinking face. “No, it's fine arts. But should I? I could probably learn how to compose so we can kick Sangyeon-hyung from the band officially.”

The oldest of them all playfully slapped the other Korean. “Why did you give him ideas.”

He seemed like he wanted to reply, but instead, Younghoon just bit his bread in silence. He gave him a weird feeling and Sangyeon wanted to know more, but then Jacob started a new subject and he decided on focusing on that instead. He has been daydreaming too much.

* * *

Sunwoo wanted to ignore him and just go home. It was what he did all this time, ever since they first crossed ways, and really, it was easy. Eric was quite dumb.

( _And_ he was good at avoiding people, but really, Eric was indeed dumb.)

The slightly younger boy tried to get his attention on the worst timings, but it wasn't that Sunwoo was complaining. He didn't need to get friends, he couldn't. But the American didn't understand it apparently, insisting and insisting, even after being turned down so many times.

Which probably why he should just ignore it and go home. But, as he tried to move further from Eric, who was being cornered by those bullies, something inside him didn't let him pretend he hadn't seen it.

“Do you like grabbing attention to yourself or something? That colour looks worst that the pink”, one of them scoffed and Sunwoo was pretty sure it was Jeno, which was something new because it's usually Jaemin who starts the harassment. In fact, said boy wasn't even moving much, just standing by his friend's side. That was... new.

“Who are you to talk about hair colour when you had it white last year? Maybe you're the one who is dying for some attention.”

The boy watching the scene smirked, glad that he didn't reply them with _uh_ s this time. But, well that would only anger them more, so maybe that was foolish. Even if he himself would probably do the same.

“As if I'd like to be like _you_. Right, Jaemin-ah?”

Said boy just stared at his best friend and nodded quietly. Jeno frowned but ignored that, moving towards the American.

Sunwoo had enough.

“Yah, dumb and dumber duo. Have you not give up on those assaults? You want to be expelled or something?”

Jaemin went stiff by looking at him but didn't move. Jeno scoffed, looking at the two of them. “Are you a freak too? That’s why your stupid friend came to rescue you?”, he laughed at the thought. “I didn't expect less.”

Sunwoo tsked. “Leave him alone and get a life, Jeno-yah. You’re a senior now, I thought by then you would start acting your age but apparently that’s impossible, huh?”

The bully stared at Sunwoo but instead moved closer to the youngest. He was ready to hurt Eric but, before Sunwoo could react, the quiet boy stopped him. “Jeno”, he finally spoke. “Don't, just-- let’s stop with this and go home.”

Said boy was now staring at his friend, face unamused. “What the fuck? Are you chicken out or something, Nana? You think those two would actually get us expelled?”

“Just stop, alright? This isn't fun anymore.”

Jaemin left his arm go and the other crossed his arms, attention on him. “So it _was_ fun before then, huh? What made you change your mind? Or is this about Donghyuck?”, he scoffed at the thought. “Who cares about him, he’s moved away.”

“Stop lying to yourself, you know something happened to him. If he had moved he would tell--”

“What, tell _you_? Come on, I told you he’s a dick, but you still heard him and see what happened?”

Jaemin was angry, that Sunwoo could perfectly tell. “ _You_ are a dick! He was a better friend than you are and I should’ve heard him when he was around. I can’t even apologize because he’s fucking gone! And I’m stuck with someone as low as yourself!”

I thought you were better but you are just like him. Both pathetic”, he grabbed his bag. “I hope you disappear too.”

Jeno left, leaving the other three in shock. And then Eric, dumb Eric, moved towards Jaemin. “Hey dude, you okay? You want to talk about it?”

Said boy looked like he was about to cry but his anger didn’t fade. “Just because I stopped him it doesn’t mean I don’t dislike both of you.” He grabbed his own belongings and without another word left the place, probably towards his home. Sunwoo kind of regretted butting in on the scene because what the _fuck_.

“I saw you staring but I didn’t think you’d actually try to help me. Thanks, dude”, the bullied kid said with rather a sad smile.

“Don’t thank me and go home”, he replied, ready to leave him behind.

“No, wait, Sunwoo-yah!”, the boy held his wrist to stop him moving anymore. “I want to befriend you.”

The older left a laugh, trying to let his arm free. “Not gonna happen.”

“I know your secret.”

That made him stare at the shorter boy, who looked serious at that. “What do you mean?”

He grinned, probably proud of finally getting his attention. “I know you’re gifted.”

He scoffed. “You mean cursed.”

“Whatever you want to call it. Gifted, cursed, changed, with special abilities, x-men, you got me.”

He ignored whatever foolish thing the American said, kept staring at the other and silently analyzing him. “You have them too”, he concluded.

It wasn’t a question, but Eric still nod. “That’s one of the reasons why I want to befriend you, so we could learn more about ourselves. Plus you seem nice.”

Oh _not_ again. “Look, great idea and all, but it’s not gonna work. I used to have a friend like you and I haven’t seen him in ten years so you should just keep quiet and try to survive.”

The other didn’t get it, unconsciously holding the older’s arm tighter. Sunwoo hissed and that made him finally let it go. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do, survive. But I can’t just stay quiet and pretend I don’t have something I can’t control that makes me different, thus feared. We at least need to learn our limitations so we can survive.”

The taller frowned. “You’re not that smart to think all of that alone.”

“Thanks for the offence”, he joked, “but you’re right. I know a hyung and this is his idea. I think you should do the same”, he then grinned. “Thinking now, you would fit well with those hyungs I know.”

“I don’t even want to befriend _you_ and you want me to befriend some older people as well?”

Eric ignored him, walking in front of him. “Just follow me.”

He shouldn’t. But he did, sighing. “Why are you wearing a cap, by the way? Even when you dyed your hair pink you didn't hide it and then had to dye it black again.”

The younger frowned. “You wear them on a daily basis. Can’t I?”

“You dyed your hair bright colours again, didn’t you?”

Eric pouted. “Shut up.”

…

“Oh, banana milk! It's my favourite drink. Anyway, the total is 12,500 won, will this be all?”

While Juyeon paid, Chanhee quietly nodded to the cashier's words, feeling a bit weird about them. He was too cheerful and it got on his nerves at first, probably because he knew it was all fake anyway. In the end he _was_ just a convenience store cashier who would probably be fired if someone ever complained about his behaviour. Chanhee knew it well, he’d been on this dude’s place before, but he couldn't help but be annoyed for a few moments. He could just smile and do his job. Why would he suddenly talk about this dumb milk anyway? Who cares, it's milk. And milk was a boring drink, who would have it as his favourite? It annoyed him, how he tried to start a pointless conversation he knew wouldn't progress, but it also made him… _curious_. But in a bad way.

Whatever, he didn't understand people.

“You think everything is fine with Jaehyun-hyung?”, Juyeon suddenly asked him once they were sitting outside the shop. The two of them decided to take a break from their little hunt (especially because they had reached a dead end and should probably go back to where it started), eating snacks and industrial drinks in a convenience store next to their flat. It's been almost two months since the whole Hyunjun thing and for some reason, Jaehyun stopped contacting the two of them. Before, when they asked him the favour, it had just been less frequent which was something both expected, after all, they'd rather him being safe. But it's been nearly a _month_ since he last contacted any of them, nearly a month since he started not staying at his home too, which could either mean he was trusted enough to stay there twenty-four seven  _or_ he had been unmasked and was now either a prisoner or, well. Dead.

Chanhee bit his lower lip at the thought. “I hope he is, at least. That hyung is clever, he is probably eating fancy food with the big heads discussing important stuff as we speak.”

Juyeon smiled sadly at that, taking a few snacks in his mouth.

“Juyeon-ah...”, the younger breathed in and out slowly. He was _really_ bad with people, but his friend did seem like he needed to be comforted now. He breathed once again, trying to think carefully what to say. “Don’t worry much about Jaehyun-hyung, okay? You know him better than I do. He’s a tough guy.”

“He’s literally a softie”, Juyeon mumbled.

“With _us_ , duh. Because he is our hyung, but with them? You know how he works, and he’s quite the perfectionist. He most certainly is a few steps ahead and will never get caught. Relax.”

It meant a lot for Choi Chanhee to tell someone to relax, and Juyeon knew it. Especially after all the good things he said about _Lee Jaehyun_ , someone the younger didn’t really trust. It was probably why he seemed less stiff after that, whispering a thank you and eating a bit more.

The younger let his eyes free, staring at everywhere and nowhere specific, until it locked on the cashier again. It looked like he was playing some silly game, and if he was being honest, the face he did while focusing was really funny. Apparently, he was playing something that you need to use your brain to progress, because he often scratched his forehead and made dumb yet serious faces, sometimes staring at the ceiling as if the answer would be written there. Chanhee scoffed at that and decided to open his milk but _ugh_ , stupid milk. The cap didn’t budge no matter how much strength he put in. Seeing that, his friend offered a hand and in no time it was now open. “Don’t use too much power or you’ll hurt yourself. It’s not a matter of strength.”

“Fuck you. But thanks”, he said the last part in a lower tone, which earned a small grin from the other, but other than that he didn’t react much.

He found himself staring at the dude again. He started slapping his forehead and Chanhee had no idea what that meant. Was he frustrated that he couldn't go on? Was he trying to make his brain work by slapping himself? Did he like pain? No, wait, that would probably be weird. Well, people are weird, so this dude could be enjoying it. And with _people_ he included himself because he doesn't think it's normal to stare at strangers for so long. He felt like he was spying on him, even if he was just staring. Wait, isn't that what spies do? You played yourself, Choi Chanhee.

But really though, he felt some… curiosity by looking at him. He was familiar somehow. Did he know him? Or was he a threat? Maybe _he_ is the spy after all, someone who used to work at the same place with him? Something told him it wasn't it though, but he wasn't sure... maybe he should have asked his name, but he wasn't really good at talking to people-- Wait, _shit_ , he is a _cashier_! He obviously has a plate with his name and he'd probably know if he is actually someone he has met before or not. You once again played yourself, Choi Chanhee.

He decided to stop with the staring and kept drinking his milk until it ended, pouting afterwards. _That_ made Juyeon react. “There’s something bothering you, isn’t there?”

He tried not reacting much to the sudden question. “Why you say that?”

“Because I can easily read you. And not only because that's my ability but because we know each other literally our whole lives. So, are you going to tell me or you'll keep avoiding it?”

Chanhee stared at his drink, the bottle now empty, expecting for the slightly older to let it be, but he could feel his intense eyes demanding an answer. He sighed, getting closer to Juyeon. “Have you not felt anything with that cashier?”

His response started with Juyeon’s brow going up. “ _That’s_ what has been bothering you? A cashier?”

“Yeah. Don’t look at me, I don’t sense good vibes from him. He feels”, he trailed off, staring at the cashier currently focusing on his own mobile. There weren't that many customers so it was understandable. “He feels somewhat familiar. I'm not sure though, understanding people is your thing. I'm only good with machines.”

The empath hummed, looking too at the boy inside the shop. “Well, he definitely is one of us, I felt it when we were paying our stuff. His vibe isn't strong so it must be a small gift, something easy to hide. Maybe he used to be one of the kids like us, back when we were on the streets, or maybe from when we still worked at that place”, Juyeon stared back at the other after those last few words. “Is this what you're worried about, then? That he might be one of them?”

Chanhee didn't move for a while, deep in thought. “I don't think that's it. I think I know him from somewhere else.” Cashier boy looked up and so Chanhee stared back at his friend, hoping he hadn't been caught. “I don’t know how to explain, but I don’t really want to keep my guard down around him.”

Juyeon seemed to be trying to understand, quietly nodding at those words. “Well, I don’t think we have to worry much, but if you think we should avoid him then so be it.”

“I’m not saying that.”

“You look like you want to avoid him.”

He sighed. “Okay, deep down I do. I just-- I don't know, actually. It's like when we met hyung.”

“Jaehyun-hyung?”

He shook his head. “Younghoon-hyung. From when he visited to work with the, you know. With _them_. I felt uncomfortable just like now.”

Juyeon’s face went a bit darker at that, getting serious fast.

“I could be wrong though”, he quickly added, “but I feel something and I don’t like it.”

“You're often right about that kind of stuff, even if your ability has nothing to do with people you read them well”, his friend sighed and Chanhee ignored that last part. He didn't understand people. “Well, in the end hyung turned his back at them, which is pretty much what we did too, so maybe it's not a bad thing.”

“But hyung ended up being very--”

The two of them stopped talking when they heard heavy steps followed by quieter ones and then saw a boy ran into the shop, shouting excitedly at the cashier and-- was his hair _green_?

“Shut up I’m working-- What the hell happened to your _hair_?!”, they heard the cashier shout back.

“You liked it, hyung?”, green haired dude once again shouted (or maybe that was his normal volume). Chanhee was bad with people, but even he could tell he was grinning at his older friend.

“It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life and I’m pretty sure your headteacher will agree with me once they see you! Do you wanna get kicked out of school or something? You’re a _senior_ now! Why are you bothering me at work anyway!”

Chanhee felt a hand on his shoulder, seeing that Juyeon was already up. He decided he heard enough of those two’s bickering and followed his friend towards their home.

* * *

Jaehyun kind of hoped his dongsaengs didn’t think he was dead, because he honestly had never felt so alive than now.

Not because life was good, nono _nope_! It was because life was exciting right now, and although he wasn’t exactly safe from harm, it felt good to be trusted. Even if in the end he has been building this trust to bring the entire place down and hopefully make the world a better place. He enjoyed being free to do what he had to, without eyes on him all the goddamn time,  _plus_ being trusted with confidential information. He loved it.

(Except that he was all alone in here because he had betrayed the wrong side before, but he tried not focusing too much on it. It still made him guilty he lost his partner in crime for, well, distrusting him when he’d been right.)

He kind of missed them, missed his dongsaengs bickering, missed Juyeon being the supportive friend and Chanhee distrusting him every step he gave, but still being by his side. He missed sleeping in his bed. But it was _incredibly_ worth it.

“Stop spacing out, Jaehyun-ssi.”

He looked at the boy next to him, face with a faint presence of annoyance. “No need to be so cold, kid.”

“No offence, but I didn’t want to be here.”

“Oh? Then why are you here, Hyunjun-ssi?”

The boy looked like he was analyzing him, and he supposed he did it all the time. It was understandable, considering he has been kidnapped at a young age and put into intense training and memory manipulation. He himself would be like that too.

Hur Hyunjun kind of reminded him of Chanhee, full of distrust and guard always up. But he decided to let the thought slide, he did not need to miss those two more than he already did.

The timing have been way too… _fitting_ _,_ that they would trust him information about him. He still didn't know all the details, just what he had gathered before and what was shared with him, which wasn't much. But the most important point he probably would have never discovered if he wasn't trusted was that, opposing to his files, mind controlling wasn't his gift, in fact it was just his _primary_ gift. That explains how he has been found at a young age and how they wanted to use him. He was indeed strong. Jaehyun wasn't told what that first ability was, but they did the best to hide it in hopes that his secondary one would emerge. They have been in this phase for two years, and no progress. Time was ticking, they needed their hands on that fast, and that was why he was now here, being trusted with so much confidential information. Training Hyunjun inside their buildings.

Who… was constantly in a mood. “Just do what you're assigned to and leave. Don't make this longer than it should.”

“Well, you're the one who started the conversation”, he shrugged. “Anyway, you know by now what you have to do by now, hmm? So I don't have to tell you.”

Rolling his eyes, Hyunjun got up from his chair and moved from the centre of the room. “You want me to do the same thing I've done for the past two years or you want me to try something newer?”

Jaehyun stopped a few seconds thinking, not really sure if the kid would be willing to side with him. He _was_ manipulated for a long while, probably brainwashed to be faithful. So one wrong step and the trust he had built would be destroyed. For now, he would have to play nice. “You tell me. Is there something new you've been thinking of? That you assume you can do?”

Hyunjun crossed his arms, face unamused. But then silently nodded, looking quite confident. Jaehyun found himself nodding back, clicking on his pen. “Okay, this is good--”

“But you're not going to put that on the report.”

The older froze on the spot, his dominant hand now hanging in the air, far from the paper. “Excuse me?”

The kid scoffed. “There is something I want to try and they cannot know of. I mean, I can mess with your head and make you side with me _and_ think it was all your idea, but I think it'd be easier if I were honest first and let you pick. You want me to do this by the easy way or not?”

Was the kid... _threatening_ him? He didn't know what to think of that, but he definitely didn’t like it. He gulped, hoping the boy couldn’t sense how he tensed up by his words (which he probably did anyway). “I was told you couldn't control your primary ability.”

“Yeah, I thought they would say that”, the kid then stepped forwards. “You wanna try me? I can prove you they're wrong.”

 _Alright_ , Jaehyun knew he was powerful and maybe dangerous, but he did not know it was _that_ much. “Calm down, I was willing to let it slide from the beginning. I just got curious.”

And then Hyunjun smirked. It was pretty teasingly, if he had to describe it himself. “That kind of thing amuses you? Didn't know I was dealing with a curious cat.”

Okay. He was _definitely_ teasing him. “Shut up, I'm a scientist. Anyway, I have to ask, how did you manage to fool them? They're smart and you're, like, five.”

The boy felt a bit uneasy at that, the older could tell, by how his right foot stepping in place repeatedly. “I just said what they wanted to. They dozed down with whatever they did to put me in the place they thought I should be on, which backfired on them. So my, as you called it, primary ability works perfectly now.”

Jaehyun hummed, mentally noting the new bits of information the boy had just gave him. Hyunjun stared at him for a while and then rolled his eyes when he noticed the older was, once again, spacing out.

“Can we start now? We don't have the entire day and if we take too much time chatting they'll start suspecting.”

“Right”, Jaehyun quickly said. “Then, let's go.”

* * *

Haknyeon couldn't believe he was graduating.

“I can't believe we're graduating”, Hyeongseop echoed his thoughts. “It feels so surreal. We spent so much time in here. We grew up here! We--”

“We get it, Hyeongseop-ah”, Woojin butted in. “You've been repeating that since classes ended. It's February. We're tired.”

Jihoon put a hand on his face to hide his laughter (although it didn't help much). That earned him some slaps from they loud friend.

Haknyeon smiled but then turned to the door. The ceremony would soon start and Euiwoong hadn't arrived. It was unusual, not just because most of his friends were graduating (“you need more friends your age”, he had told the younger) but because the principal had assigned him to be the mc that year. He had been _so_ enthusiastic about it, since normally they would give the role for someone one grade below, while the kid was _two_ grades behind. It was probably because he had gotten a lot of attention after entering the journalism club and writing so well.

He stopped his line of thought as Jihoon clicked his finger in front of the other's eyes, startling him. “Earth to Haknyeon? We gotta get going, you know, because we're finally graduating?”

He blinked and stared at his friends in disbelief. “We can't go yet, Woong didn't arrive.”

Hyeongseop blinked at that, realizing that just now. “Weird. He's always on time.”

Woojin just shrugged. “Maybe he had last minute check up to do and went straight to the principal’s room. Let's go, it's our big day.”

That made sense, he reasoned, moving further from the door. Yet still looking back, as if he would come in at any second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Euiwoong didn't come. Instead, Bae Jinyoung appeared with the text the younger had sent to the school months before the event. He smiled like nothing was unusual, reading it with a bright smile, and maybe the principal didn't want to alarm anyone from the sudden change. But Haknyeon still felt a bitter taste in his mouth, worried.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moments after he got home he got a call from his best friend, and obviously Haknyeon would answer right away. “Woong-ah! Where have you been--”

“Haknyeon”, a woman spoke, voice shaking, which made him shut up instantly. “It's Woong’s mother. He's been missing since yesterday night but since he said would visit you I didn't worry much but he didn't return yet. Do you know where he is?”

The boy froze, feeling a knot form in his throat. “N-- no, Mrs Lee, I haven't seen him since last week.”

The woman on the other line started crying loudly and it hurt him. Why would he not return home? He was a good kid and sure, his parents were strict but he'd never run away. So why would he suddenly be gone--

_What if-- people start going missing here too, because of this?_

…Oh.

Oh no.

Have they-- have _they_ \--

Oh God no. Did he got caught instead of him? For being so involved with his gift - wait, gift? It was more like a curse - that they mistook the two of them?

Have Euiwoong been captured because of him, and now having to deal with whatever they do with people like him--

“Mrs. Lee”, he said, his voice low but suddenly courageous. “Please don't worry. I'll try my best to find him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you could tell who is the cashier and green haired boy, congrats! (as if wasn't obvious,,, at least I think it was). i considered writing what happened after junew left but then i thought better not, because it would do _nothing_ to the plot. basically cashier screamed at green hair for bothering him at work and green hair would talk about his day, invite cashier to go out and be rejected. the usual with those two, except this time they had a shadow watching them.  
>  so as I said before updates will start being slower again because of uni classes returning and also a bit because I might be a bit confused with this......? like, when I started writing it I had a main idea but it's kind of not following that anymore lmao (for real I had 600 words in this before that hell of a week and when I came back to return it all got deleted because it didn't fit my new thoughts in this) so I am kind of errrrr confused as to where this is going,,,, altho i really liked this chapter in comparison to the last two so yeah,, but I DO NOT want to discontinue this and I'll try to update regularly/once per month, but no promises :( sowwyyyy  
> ALSO SORRY MY NCT SONS FOR MAKING YALL BULLIES I STILL LOVE YALL OK???? HYUNG LOVES YOU ALL especially you nana please never go on a hiatus like that.  
>   
> by the way, [hwall's real name DOES romanize as hyunjUn](https://twitter.com/pinksparkle_hj/status/964791010491482112) but I admit that the hUR caught me off guard,,,,,,,,, I will probably be editing his name in past chapters in the future uwu should have done it while i edited the summaries but i kind of forgot and now am lazy lmaoooooooooo


	6. Chapter 5: Of clashes and crashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, fate just made it worse. No one knew why, only fate itself. Maybe it was bored and wanted to have some fun, and they were its victims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i learned the difference of clash and crash while writing this title/chapter. a quick yet useless psa.  
> hei friends! i've been wondering.... do yall want some hints abt what is going on here in the notes? ~~altho i kind of gave some already just lowkey ft some jokes~~? idk hah i've been wondering if some of you who are trying to guess what's going on would want some, or just leave the story hint here and there while you try to catch it? :0!! either way i love when you share stuff on comments so pls keep doing it thank you i'm a writer who needs constant validation  
>  anyway i noticed i never specified my writing style in here for time spans and since they are VERY important i'll explain it now: when two scenes are separated with a horizontal line (the one ao3 identifies as "hr" on the html) it means the time gap is from several hours to weeks, while "…" means it either is happening at the same time as the previous scene or within minutes or hours. uwu. keep that in mind!!!!!!  
> last note! in this chap there is a 00z interaction and I know not all are familiar with nct or golcha, or are but didn't decorate their birthdays, and since I often use words like "older" and "younger", their birthdays goes like this: (renjun >) sunwoo (> jeno > donghyuck, who are just mentioned here) > jaemin > bomin > eric.  
> it is all for now i'll keep the rest of the ranting in the other notes thingy pls enjoy this late upd8!  
>   
>   
> oh and i added canbros tag. for the second time. but i'm not removing it this time. uwu.

Eric was having a quiet lunch with Bomin when he heard whispers - or more specifically, _thoughts_  - about himself. He would usually ignore it, being used to those hateful thoughts, but then he heard _Sunwoo’s_ name as well and got interested, turning back to where the owner could be. He was very surprised when his eyes met Na Jaemin’s annoyed face though.

 _I can't believe I'm listening to this bitch who broke my arm once_ , his voice echoed walking side to side to Sunwoo and Eric felt a bit cold at the thought because, holy shit, Sunwoo had done _what_? Sunwoo has really broken Jaemin's arm once?! But he decided to push the thought away and try to look calm since the two boys were moving towards his table. The younger frowned, _God please end me, the freak's with Choi fucking Bomin too. Is this karma from all bad I did?_. If only he could punch the asshole for such thoughts.

“Hey Eric, nice beanie”, Sunwoo spoke, voice low. At that, Bomin finally looked up and jumped on his seat, echoing some of the bully's words. “You got some time? I think we have some talking to do.”

 _We don't, only_ you _do, asshole_ , Jaemin once again echoed while Bomin mentally cried pleads for him to go away and leave him in peace. Gosh, he could sense a headache coming already.

“Sure. Don't you two want to sit down?”

Reluctantly, the two of them did as told, the older of the two going to Eric's side, but he did not sit before Sunwoo poked the beanie boy on the shoulder, dropping a piece of paper on his lap. The Korean American did his best to take it on his lap, reading it without the two sitting in front of him knowing.

> _His mind will do the talking so don't worry much if he gives half answers._

He blinked at the words, eyeing the other who seemed unbothered. What was that even supposed to mean? It was frustrating how he had no idea what Sunwoo’s plan was but, well, for now, he should probably cooperate.

“Aren't you going to say anything, Jaemin-ah?”

Said boy didn't like being addressed like that by his expression - _and_ mental cusses - but still breathed in and out slowly. “I'm sorry for being a dick.”

 _Well, not that much_. Eric scoffed at the predictability. “No, you're not.”

He sighed. “Fine, you're weird and I despise you with all my being. But I shouldn't have been picking on you this entire time.”

“Or anyone”, Bomin whispered. Jaemin stared at the bunny kid sitting by his side and the younger flinched. _I'm sorry I'm not here you haven't seen me please keepignoringmedon'thitme_. It hurt hearing that.

The bully sighed, staring at the two changed boys. “Yeah, or _anyone_. I shouldn't have done any of that and I regret now, so here I am, formally apologizing”, he glared at the oldest at the table. “That's what you wanted, huh, Sunwoo-yah? Can I go now?”

“No, I don't care about this forgiving crap”, he was quick to say. Bomin's mind echoed how frightened he felt by him and, in all honesty, Eric agreed with him. “Do I look like the type who cares? You told us about something else and I just want to know more.”

Jaemin blinked. “Wha-- You don't mean--” _you're not asking about what happened to Donghyuck, do you?_

The mysterious boy looked at Eric, waiting. The youngest at the table moved closer to the other, speaking in a low tone. “Uh, we would like to know what you meant about Donghyuck disappearing.”

 _Fuck me_ , both the bully's face and mind expressed. “Why in the hell you would you two want to know about it?”, he hissed.

“Because it's not the first time it happened and I'm starting to feel there is something up.”

It was Eric's turn to glare at the boy sitting at his side. He was about to ask what he meant when the boy spoke again. “Still looking for Hyunjun, I see.”

“Still pretending that Renjun hadn't suffered the same end, I see.”

Jaemin’s smile quickly dropped, face merging into one of anger. _Why the fuck are you bringing this up? Why do you_ care _?_ “He moved back to China years ago.”

The youngest tilted his head at that. “Isn’t that what Jeno said about Donghyuck? That he moved back to Jeju?”

That made the other’s mind go chaotic. It seemed that he had only seen the pattern now and if the youngest was scared before, he was now massively worried. The fuck was going on in this place? Is this a thing, people going missing and the police brush it off? Suddenly he really misses Los Angeles.

“Tell me”, Sunwoo crossed his arms and _gosh_ , he looked so scary. “Who told you he moved back to China? Was it the cops or Renjun himself?”

He stared at him intensely. _How the fuck do you even know that?_ , it echoed. Eric poked the older’s tight and hoped he would understand what it meant. He did.

“So Renjun _did_ also disappear”, he looked down for a moment, as if he had seen something important in it, “which makes it _two_. Two of your friends disappeared. Don't you find it”, he paused, staring back at Jaemin, “odd?”

“The _fuck_ you wanna know.”

Bomin looked at the three of them, not knowing who to stare at. “Uh, should I go or--”

“No”, Sunwoo spoke, turning his attention to him, but then smirked. “Unless you promise nothing you heard here will ever leave your mouth.”

“I promise! I promise! This has never happened! I don't even know you!”

A small nod was all the bunny boy needed to take his unfinished drink and fly from the cafeteria, lunch left unfinished. Eric frowned. “You didn't need to scare him like that, he has enough problems in here.”

“Whatever, I don't care. I have other things to worry first.”

He received a glare from the younger. “ _Fine_. But when this is over, you will _see_.”

Sunwoo frowned at that and the younger would _die_ to know what he was thinking right now, but they had… uh, whatever the kid wanted to solve, so they stared back at Jaemin. He was still pretty pissed off though. “Do you have any idea why would both of them disappear?”

“Why would I?”, _isn't it because there are rumours some cursed assholes are in our school?_ , it echoed.

The oldest didn't look pleased. “Everyone has some opinion of what's happening. They're just too scared to voice it.”

“Why don't you ask them then?”

“Because you're the one whose two best friends disappeared. Most people who go missing are less unrelated so there must be something in here.”

Jaemin frowned, not giving them a word. Or at least not voicing them, because Eric heard them all. 

 _Renjun was-- is one of them. I don't know why Donghyuck would be gone though, he wasn't. At least he never said so. But it's not like we've been in good terms the past few months…_ , the other's mind echoed, which made the boy look away from the two staring intensely at him.

“One of what”, the L.A. boy thought. Sunwoo looked at him, brow up, and the other realized he had actually said it out loud. He cleared his throat. “Do you think there is a correlation between the two of them?”

“N-- no”, he hesitated on saying. _Maybe, it could be_ , his mind echoed in contrast.

The oldest of the trio seemed pleased for now. “Okay, this will be all.”

Jaemin blinked in confusion. Can I get the heck outta here now?

“Yeah”, Eric said and realized a bit late what he had just done, the two boys staring at him with puzzled expressions. “I mean, yeah, this is over. For now, at least. Don’t talk about our conversation with anyone or you… you will suffer the consequences!”

Sunwoo scoffed and the youngest didn’t need to read his mind to know he was thinking he was silly or something equally negative, and deep down he agreed. Eric didn’t know how to be threatening. Jaemin, in the meantime, quietly stared at the beanie boy with a face of disbelief until he got up without a word. Well, no words coming from his mouth at least.

“So?”, the mysterious boy asked him as soon as the bully disappeared from their sight.

“So what?”

“What did he say? Or think”, he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Eric crossed his arms. “I’m not saying a thing if you don’t explain what the hell all of this what about.” He simply raised a brow at the American, who rolled his eyes in response. “Why were you asking all of those things and why do you want to know what he thought?”

Sunwoo sighed. “My best friend disappeared when we were eight. I've been trying to find him since then, and since it was pretty much what happened with Donghyuck and Renjun I thought that maybe there is something up with that guy.”

Eric frowned at that. “Is it a common thing that people go missing around here or something? I'm starting to get concerned.”

“You should, because they're hunting us.”

The younger wanted to laugh at the remark but the other boy sounded serious - even more than he already did - so he just remained frozen for a few seconds. Jaemin said - thought - that Renjun was one of them, which is probably connected to why he disappeared. He also considered that Donghyuck could also be one of them…

Something clicked. “Was-- was your friend--?”

“Yeah. He is really powerful, you know. We were young and didn't know what to do, but the things he did-- it was intense.”

“You're like him though, aren't you?”

The older once more rose a brow at him.

“I mean, you're also very powerful. I told you, you're the only person I've ever met whose mind I can't read, and you said you don't know how you're blocking me. That must mean something, don't you think?”

Sunwoo stared down. The beanie boy blinked at that and followed his glare, wondering if there was something on the floor but it was just his shadow. “I wouldn't call myself powerful. I think I'm more of a threat.”

Eric didn't get how, but then reminded what Jaemin had thought earlier. “You broke his arm.”

He hadn't specified who but Sunwoo still knew exactly what he meant. “I don't even know how. I blacked out and suddenly both him and Jeno were on the floor, Jaemin’s arm broken. See, I _am_ dangerous” he quickly glared down again and the younger thought it wasn't a coincidence, “I don't even know what ability I have, just that it could kill”, at that he got up, not even looking at the other. “This is why I don't like your little sci-fi club.”

“Sunwoo!”, he got up as well, following the taller. “We are there to help you! Really, come again tonight. Haknyeon-hyung weren't with us so that's probably why you disliked! I can promise you it's worth it. It helped me tone down some voices.”

“Well, congrats.”

“ _Ple_ ~ase!”

The older stopped, frowning angrily. “You're _not_ using aegyo tone at--”

The boy trailed down until his voice completely faded and he suddenly looked scared, as if he had seen a ghost. “Everything alright?”

Sunwoo looked back at the American, face darker than before. “If I arrive at the front gate and you're not there, I'm going home”, and then turned around, leaving towards his class.

Eric stared at the boy, moving away from the cafeteria. He felt bad, he really wanted to help him but he seemed to be so against it. It felt lonely, and not that he knew why he was shutting him off it just made him pity the older more. Which only made him want to help him more, and the circle went on and on.

He didn't really like meeting Changmin-hyung, but maybe because it was because the older had been moody that day. He should meet Haknyeon-hyung soon and hopefully he _will_ this time. He has been ignoring both him and the oldest and it's been worrying him, not only because he'd be of help to Sunwoo but because he worried about him as well, as a friend.

But first, he has classes to attend. Ugh.

…

Haknyeon couldn't stop hitting his finger on his table. He wanted to get out, classes were boring and useless. He was wasting time in here, staring at the middle aged man write on the board and then erase it to fill it with more information he would probably forget in seconds. The teacher then turned away and started speaking words he didn't even try to hear and he glared at his wrist, his watch telling him he would need to wait more thirty five minutes. More thirty five minutes of _suffering_.

If only he could control time forwards and backwards freely, it'd be of much help and he wouldn't be stressed right now, for so many reasons. He could only _stop_ time. What a useless g-- _curse_ he has.

His phone lightly vibrated on his pocket and he didn't think twice before opening it.

> ‘ppangjae’ (18:24)
> 
> (ppangjae): hey favourite hyung! donttellchangminhyungisaidthatbuTANY W A Y dont u dare bail on us again bc i need u to meet someone :-) xoxo

Haknyeon sighed loud, way too loud considering he was in class, but well. It was university, no one gives a damn.

> (me): look I know the training idea was mine n all but I'm busy
> 
> (me): uni and well, I got a life
> 
> (me): so pls stop bothering me with that.
> 
> (ppangjae): hyuuuuunnnnggg do u even hear urself!!!!!!
> 
> (ppangjae): UR GOING AGAINST WHAT U TOLD ME
> 
> (ppangjae): (ง'̀-‘́)ง
> 
> (ppangjae): also thx for not ghosting me this time xoxoxo
> 
> (me): welcome to uni, where ure too busy for a lot of stuff
> 
> (me): messing with our abilities included
> 
> (ppangjae): HYUNG UR A BIG NERD SND EVEN WHEN U WERE STUDYING 2 ENTER TO UNI YOU CONSIDERED THIS TRAIJING MORE IMPORTANT
> 
> (ppangjae): *LE GASP*
> 
> (ppangjae): U R NOT JU HAKNYEON R U
> 
> (ppangjae): WERE YOU KIDNAPPED AS WELL
> 
> (ppangjae): WTFFFFFF
> 
> (ppangjae): R U HIS FBI AGENT THEN
> 
> (me): wait
> 
> (me): slow the f down
> 
> (ppangjae): wow you almost cussed!!!!
> 
> (ppangjae): score!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> (me): sohn youngjae.
> 
> (ppangjae): its eric!!!!!
> 
> (me): whatever slow down pls!!!!!
> 
> (me): what you mean kidnapped /as well/
> 
> (me): explain!!!!! PLS
> 
> (ppangjae): well... u see
> 
> (ppangjae): there is this dude ive been wanting to introduce to u SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY BTW
> 
> (ppangjae): and he gave me some tea
> 
> (me): what
> 
> (ppangjae): he spilled the beans
> 
> (me): I only speak korean, ericah
> 
> (me): n broken cantonese
> 
> (ppangjae): THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE DISAPPEARING SINCE IDK TEN YEARS AROUN D HERE AND HE IS TRUING TO FIND THIS FRIEND OF HIS OK
> 
> (ppangjae): CUZ HE GIFTED AS WELL
> 
> (ppangjae): SO I GOT A BIT PARANOID OK
> 
> (me): oh...
> 
> (me): interesting
> 
> (me): but in a bad way
> 
> (ppangjae): ???????
> 
> (me): he's the dude you want me to meet right?
> 
> (ppangjae): uhmmmm ye?
> 
> (ppangjae): like i said tht 2 secs ago
> 
> (me): I'm coming then
> 
> (ppangjae): OH
> 
> (ppangjae): nice!!!!
> 
> (ppangjae): btw hyung,,,,,,,,,,,,, you okay? :(
> 
> (ppangjae): its been a while since you talk with either me or changminihyung.........
> 
> (ppangjae): and u arent using emojis
> 
> (ppangjae): and well,,,
> 
> (ppangjae): we miss u
> 
> (ppangjae): even hyung
> 
> (ppangjae): altho he's too tsun to admit but he cant keep a secret frm me
> 
> (me): ...sorry
> 
> (me): I
> 
> (me): sighs.
> 
> (me): shit happened. I
> 
> (me): will tell you later, maybe
> 
> (me): or, well, maybe you'll read me idk
> 
> (me): either way ull know
> 
> (ppangjae): :(
> 
> (ppangjae): u don't need to tell us if itbothers u
> 
> (ppangjae): i can try not reading u if you feel more comfortable w it
> 
> (ppangjae): no promises tho :(
> 
> (ppangjae): but hey... dont for get
> 
> (ppangjae): we will be by ur side hyung!!!!
> 
> (ppangjae): thts wht friends are for
> 
> (ppangjae): specially w all.... of ths happening
> 
> (me): ...thanks ericah
> 
> (me): it means a lot t me
> 
> (me): ｡^‿^｡
> 
> (ppangjae): !!!!!!!!
> 
> (ppangjae): (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))

Haknyeon once again sighed, shutting his phone screen down. There was still a couple of minutes for his class to end and now he was really dying to get out of it. Whoever this person Eric wants him to meet, maybe he'll help him find Euiwoong. As foolish as it was to hope a complete stranger could help him with something so serious… he'd rather have hope rather than none at all.

He started clicking on his pen constantly, eye glued to his watch. And once the teacher dismissed his class, he was the first one to get up and leave.

…

As soon as his class ended, Kevin flew towards the door, legs moving fast towards the path he now knew by heart. But maybe because he was walking so fast and automatic that it was inevitable for him to bump into something, or in his case someone. The boy was quick to look up at the taller figure to politely apologize until he saw Younghoon’s awkward smile. “Aren't you in a hurry”, he joked, laughing. “Are you alright? You aren't hurt?”

“N- no I'm not”, he said fast. “I'm sorry for being so distracted, Younghoon-sunbaenim.”

The older glared at him. “No need to be so polite with me, Kevin-ah.”

“Okay, uh, Younghoon-hyung… nim”, he said, quickly adding the nim. It felt weird to be too casual with him. 

The other made a face at the unnecessary _nim_ that but decided to let it be. “Are you heading somewhere now?”

The Canadian felt weird by the question. “Just… home, I guess. Why?”

“Oh, I just thought that maybe you had something to do, like a meeting with your band”, the older shrugged. “I was thinking that maybe we should get to know ourselves more.”

“And why is that?”, he asked. Something inside his head screamed caution and he didn't know why, but either way, he didn't really understand why he was so curious about himself. He popped out of nowhere and was a bit too friendly around not only Kevin but Jacob too, while he didn't have the same interest in Sangyeon. And that made the younger’s defences go up whenever Younghoon was around.

“Why, can't I try to befriend you?”, he tilted his head. “You seem like a good person, and well, Jacob says many good things about you, but I feel like we're too apart. So I'd like to get to know you more.”

“Ah, I just remembered I have to finish a presentation today! I swear my design teacher is sadistic, he keeps making us work on a weekly basis”, he half lied. Sure he had a presentation to do but it wasn't that deep, yet he still decided to use it as an excuse. “I guess we could do that another time?”

Younghoon’s expression was blank and that actually worried the younger because he had no idea what the other thought of his obvious lie. But then he just shrugged. “Sure, I guess. Can I have your number at least? So we could sort it out later.”

“Y- yeah, of course!”, he said and soon the taller was handing him his phone, creating a new contact. “Here. It's saved it as Moon Kev.”

“Thanks. I'll message you later then”, he smiled genuinely and said his farewells, leaving the Canadian on his own, staring at his back as he moved further from him. He sighed, he didn't really want to be too close to him but he was too polite to turn him down entirely.

Once he left the campus Sangyeon was already there waiting for him. “It's a miracle I arrived before you. Did your teacher make you stay behind again?”

He shook his head. “No, I met Younghoon-hyung on my way and he talked to me.”

The oldest slowly nodded his head, the two of them soon moving towards their neighbourhood. “What do you think of him by the way? Kim Younghoon I mean.”

Kevin looked at his best friend. “Why are you asking?”

“I don't know”, he honestly answered. “He makes me feel uneasy and I don't know what's that supposed to be.”

The foreigner hummed. “Me too. Something about him makes me want to distrust him.”

“Wow, you're worse than me”, Sangyeon laughed. “I just silently wonder what's up with him, but I'm not sure if it's a bad thing. He seems cool, and Jacob seems to like him.”

Something inside Kevin ached. He wasn't sure what though. “What do you mean by that?”

It was Sangyeon’s turn to look at his friend. “Like as in the opposite of dislike?”, he quietly laughed, “Is little Moon Kevin jealous or something?”

“No”, he was quick - maybe _too_ quick - to deny. “Why would I be jealous of someone hyung met two or so months ago?”

Sangyeon shrugged. “I don't know, you tell me. I mean, you two bonded really fast quicker than those two, it's not that weird for you to not like the change of attention.”

“I'm not telling you because there's nothing to tell you”, he said, but the thing was still aching. “Hyung can befriend anyone just like I can befriend anyone too. I should be happy for him because he hasn't been in Korea for too long and doesn't know that many people, not _jealous_.”

The older looked away from him. “Alright, if you say so.”

Kevil felt like rolling his eyes at the tone the Korean had used. He was _not_ jealous. He just didn't get good vibes from the older, that's all! And why would he want someone he liked to be around someone he didn't feel good around?

…Liked as in have affection for. In an entirely friendly, platonic way. _Obviously_.

They stayed a few steps completely silent until his older friend spoke once again. “Anyway, Jacob texted me and he said he'll be having some midterm tests soon so he won't be able to practice in the next couple days. But we could still work together if you aren't too busy.”

The Canadian hummed again. His mind went to the presentation he had for a couple of days. “Yeah, I don't think I will be able to come at least not so soon.”

Sangyeon nodded. “That means more sleep for me”, and as if it was a sign he yawned.

“Still having trouble with the dreams, huh?”, the younger asked worriedly. “You should do something about it, it's been over a year.”

“Maybe I should, but I guess I don't want to?”

Kevin furrowed a brow. “What do you mean?”

The other sighed. “I feel like they're important. Like, maybe I don't know, some prophecy?”

“…That sounds corny.”

“Does it?”, he laughed it off. “I thought this theory made sense. Like I was watching a possible future, one where everything goes bad and we all die.”

“It could be metaphorical though”, the younger considered.

Sangyeon stayed a while walking in silence. “It could be”, he said quietly, “but if it is then I need to discover what it's telling me. I've been thinking though, maybe I'm having those nightmares like a warning for what might happen, and that I should stop it… which doesn't really help me because I barely even remember them.”

“But you remember enough for it to bother you.”

“…Yeah. I think so.”

The younger gave his hyung a sympathising smile, resting his arm on his shoulder. “Sorry that you have to deal with this.”

“Why are you apologizing? It’s not like I have this because of you”, he smiled back. “Dummy.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Well, I hope you _do_ get your well-deserved rest while we work our asses out, hyung.”

Sangyeon’s smile grew. “Thanks, kid.”

He quickly nodded at the older, walking silently. He decided to check his phone - and ignored the new message from the not so unknown contact - opening a news blog. Well, it wasn't your conventional news site, since it was made by anonymous people not connected to any network. Kevin didn't really believe them anyway, so he read this blog instead.

He sighed at the newest post, it was yet another list of missing people. Some of them had a mark after their name, but mostly didn't. It meant that they were normal. They weren't one of _them_ , or at least they were unlikely to be changed. Which… was scary. Nearly _every_ name belonged to someone changed then.

The Canadian sighed. He hated looking at this, hated how many people were taken for stupid reasons. He was sure they were harmless! Innocent! But people thirsty for power don't care about it, because they would do anything to satisfy their pride.

If only he could stop it. But he was just Moon Kevin, a twenty-one years old boy from Vancouver who was very, very ordinary.

He sighed again. This world was too cruel.

…

Sunwoo didn’t know what made him follow Eric this time again, watching once again him arguing with his cashier older friend. It was pretty much like that the other time: Eric had shown off his greenish hair to the older, who in response lectured him by shouting. He was certain the two customers who were chilling outside got annoyed at the scene and decided to leave by then, and it was his cue to do the same but _no_. He had stayed, watching them like a quiet shadow. He had to hear the green haired boy talk about his _amazing_ day at least thrice, brag about his newest hair colour probably over ten times and ask his cashier hyung to hang out with him on their ‘secret hideout’ countless times and being turn down every time, until the older had to lock down the place. When it happened, he once again silently walked with them, listening to them talk about their abilities (or, better, Eric monologue about his and his hyung’s - whose name is Ji Changmin - abilities) all the way until he could finally part from them, since they lived somewhere else. It was boring and Sunwoo didn't know why it was so important for him to tag along because the entire evening he kept daydreaming about his delayed homework. And that said a lot because Sunwoo _never_ thought about his delayed homework, he couldn't care less about it. But at least they didn’t ask about his own, which was a relief because as he had told the younger earlier that day he had no fucking idea what his curse was supposed to be besides threatening.

The boy sighed, once again thinking about homework. Today seemed to be the same, except once the place was locked down they did not leave, standing by its front door. “We waiting for something or what?”, he decided to break the silence. He saw Changmin jump startled by the youngest side but decided to not comment on it.

“Yeah, Haknyeonie-hyung promised he’d come.”

“Shouldn’t he be here by now though?”, the older one spoke. “You sure he’s coming? I kind of doubt.”

“I do! Look at his messages!”, Eric shouted, shoving his phone on the slightly taller one. “He sounded really serious and interested in meeting Sunwoo.”

“I’m honoured?”, he said sarcastically.

“Stop being such a meanie”, he said with a pout, staring at his screen. The slightly older boy had assumed he was intensely glaring at the messages until he was proven wrong after the youngest sighed. “Maybe I should change this green for blue.”

“Maybe you should stop being such a punk in your last year of high school?”, Changmin reasoned. “They are forbidden for a reason, you should go by the rules once or twice in your life.”

“I don’t think you understand, hyung”, the American said. “This is self-expression! Which I should be free to do, by the way. I’m young and should experiment new things if they make me comfortable with myself. Anyway, rules are meant to be broken.”

Sunwoo tried to hold his laughed but failed.

The oldest rolled his eyes at Eric, ignoring the laughter. “It’s less than a year. You shouldn’t go break any rules because you want to discover yourself. You’re gonna get expelled and then you will live forever with the consequences.”

“It’s not like I need math and science to be a dancer”, the youngest shrugged.

Changmin looked offended, gasping loudly. “You do, so you can enter university.”

“Why would I want to?”

Another gasp. “I am _not_ listening to this right now.”

“Why? Just give me one reason.”

“It’s important to invest in your education, obviously?”, he said, visibly annoyed that he actually had to answer that. “Even if you’re ‘just’ going to dance. There are majors for that, you know.”

He stared at the oldest for a few moments. “Then why aren’t _you_ in university, hyung?”, Eric asked, which made him shut up. Sunwoo couldn’t read minds but he could tell by both of their expressions, he had a pretty good reason not to. Or a pretty bad one. “Sorry, hyung I didn’t mean--”

“Shut up. You did it again, didn’t you?”

It was Eric’s turn to look offended. “How many times do I gotta explain that I can’t control--”

“Wow, what is going on in here?”, they all heard a new voice say. Sunwoo simply took his eyes off the duo to turn around, glaring at the boy.

“ _Holy shit you’re blond_ ”, the American whispered not that quietly in English. “Haknyeonie-hyung! You came! And you're looking amazing, oh my _God_.”

“As glad as I am to see you this is a quite bad timing, Haknyeon-ah”, the older half-joked with a small smile on his lips.

The new boy - Ju Haknyeon, Eric had told him countless times - smiled briefly at the two but it quickly faded, as if it was tiring to keep it in his face for too long. Sunwoo stared at him from up and down, and it surprised him that soon the other did the same, scanning him as well after he realized he was there. But once their eyes locked, glaring at each other's face for a couple seconds, realization hitting them.

“You're the dancer in the subway.” “It's the mysterious dude from the subway!”

Changmin blinked at that, staring at the two of them. Eric loudly gasped, interested in the scene. “You two know each other?”

“No”, they said in unison, which made them stare at each other's eyes again. Haknyeon cleared his throat. “I've seen him in the subway once on my way home.”

The oldest rose a brow. “And that was enough to memorise his face?”

The other sighed. “It is when you decide to use you g-- _curse_ , and it works everywhere else but on _this_ guy.”

“I have a name”, he annoyedly pointed out.

It was the youngest’s cue to intervene. “Ah, yes! Sunwoo, this is Ju Haknyeonie-hyung, I guess you know by now but he can control time. He was also the one who decided to, well, do these meetings”, he said brightly. He noticed the introduced boy scoff at the mention of his abilities. He found it quite… interesting. “Haknyeon-hyung, this is Kim Sunwoo, he's from my school and is my age and as you probably suspects he also has gifts. He's also the dude I told about the missing friend.”

Sunwoo turned to him. “You told him _that_?”

The American blinked. “Shouldn't I?”

He tsked. “Never mind”, he said, obviously not meaning it. He felt a bitter taste of betrayal but also regret in opening up to his same age colleague. That's what happens when you trust people, Sunwoo-yah.

“If it makes it less bad he just said about people going missing and I was the one who asked about more it”, the blond said. “It was important for me to know.”

The older boy looked serious at that but he could feel some traits of sadness in his voice as well. He didn't know how to read minds - that was Eric's job, who gasped quietly and got an expression of pity a few moments after Haknyeon’s words - but Sunwoo was smart enough to connect the dots. “Someone important to you disappeared as well.”

He nodded slowly. Changmin, after seeing the younger agree, moved closer to him and put an arm around the younger’s shoulder, half hugging him. “Is this why you haven't been talking to us properly?”, he said cautiously.

Another nod. “Sorry, but Euiwoong is really important to me and I know he needs me. It's my fault he got taken anyway. I have to help him.”

Changmin and Eric shared a glare. “You could've told us, Haknyeon-ah. We would try to help.”

“I didn't want to involve anyone else, but now here I am”, he said, staring at the floor.

Sunwoo just stared at the blond. “And how did that go? Did you get anything?”

He scoffed, annoyed. “Well, there are only a few things I can do on my own. He hasn't been gone for too long but it's not like I can get the cops help since they're trying the best to let it slide, but I _won't_ let them!”, he said, looking up. Sunwoo noticed how determined - and quite dark - the other boy looked after saying that.

He liked it, deep down. “I can help you with that”, he said, smirking. “I had ten years of trying to discover what the fuck is going on, so I think it will be of help.”

He looked surprised to hear that. “Really…?”

“Yeah, hyung”, Eric spoke again. “And us two too. Just because we are pretty clueless it doesn't mean we're not going to back you up.”

“But it's too risky--”

“Ju Haknyeon. Don't worry much about it”, the oldest said, “besides we already made up our minds.”

“That hyung is stubborn.”

“Look who's saying that, Sohn Youngjae.”

“It's _Eric_!”

Sunwoo, for the nth time that day, sighed. He couldn't wait to go home and stay away from all of this human interaction. Yet, deep down, he didn't hate it. He actually kind of missed this. They were obnoxious but still seemed friendly, and they were willing to help him find Hyunjun even before knowing what he was capable of. Maybe he could take this stupid sci-fi club seriously and it will help him not snap too. Who knows, it could even be a new start for him.

His thoughts were cut when a hand carefully tugged on his sleeve calling for his attention. “So”, he saw Haknyeon speak in a low voice. “I guess we have some talking to do, huh?”

Sunwoo caught himself smiling at that. “Yeah, we definitely do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanna start this end notes by (finally) saying SORRY FOR THE DELay i _did_ know it would happen since like january but i still felt super bad for not posting _at all_ in march : < uni IS making me super busy (year 2 is the toughest of all years because we have practical classes almost every day) plus I wrote other stuff in the meantime (i DID work for this chapter too, it just wasnt the priority since i had a fic fest due to march 31st (and, note, I delayed that too) plus other stuff I wanted to finish soon) so yeah.... I could only finish this and post now. even if i have warned beforehand i feel quite bad but dont worry i am not neglecting this nor pretending to drop it so soon, _really_ , as someone who has history with giving up on their chaptered stories my pride will be hurt if this happens to be another one. plus i'm having the greatest fun!!!! I don't wanna quit this. uwu.  
> see you on next chapter! pls comment pls.  
> btw............................ (glaring at sunhak) THEY MEET YEEEEEEEEEEE uwuwuwu I was dying that the only couple I confirmed since day 1 haven't met yet uwuwuwuwuuwu things will go down!  
>   
> also dumb fun fact but this was going to have extra two scenes but i kicked them to the next chapter, HOWEVER this is still the second longest chapter, the first one being the chapt1/2. wow. I hope the wait was worth ! or not idk i kind of feel like this chapter was both cool and disappointing  
> see you hopefully not in more than a month! oh and once again I might touch this here and there soooooooo yep! hopefully wont be too much but if thats the case ill put warnings like i always do. uwu


	7. Chapter 6: Waiting, meekly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But once fate made up its mind, there wasn’t much one could do to change it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow!!!!!!!! i actually updated before two months!!!!!! within one month and a week only!!!!!!!! i'm proud of myself!!!!!!!!!!  
> my uni work: uhhh excuse me sir stop neglecting me  
> me: aaand suddenly i'm illiterate  
> also uhhhhhhhh **i did the thing again where the previous chapter is slightly edited** , but it isn't something too big. it's in the kevin's scene, previously it just ended with sangyeon's "thanks kid" but i added a few lines after that, where kevin checks his phone and sees the news about missing people and thinks abt it. nothing much i think, i only added 191 words in it, but still, heads up.  
> oh, and. chap 1/prologue has new gifs, but they're pretty much the same (except for the sangyeon/kevin/jacob one) but it's not a big change. i just hated that they were small and low quality. you don't need to reread anything, and you can see all the gifs [here](https://giphy.com/channel/heecheondo) anyway so yeeee~. i might add more gifs on other chaps but i didnt yet cuz i'm lazy, but either way it'll be there. i saved the gifs with chapter in the title but i thing giphy doesn't show the file name.......................... but idk there is That? orz  
> enjoy this new chapter!

“It’s weird to share a ride with you considering how we met”, Haknyeon admitted, laughing alone. The younger boy, sitting by his side, just quietly glared at him and nodded. He sighed. “I feel sorry for you.”

Sunwoo furrowed. “Why are you saying this out of suddenly?”

He bit the inside of his cheeks. “Euiwoong disappearing ruined me inside. I can’t imagine how it was for you to deal with your friend being missing for ten years. It must have been hell.”

“ _Ah_ ”, he started. “Yeah, it was. But I’m trying my best to find him, and we’ll find your friend as well. It’s being hard though, sometimes I feel like I’m running in the wrong direction.”

Haknyeon nodded quietly. He heard from him and Eric the whole deal with one of their classmate - Jaemin? Jimin? Something-min that wasn't Changmin - but it apparently had nothing to do with _him_ specifically. He sighed. “I’m sorry if it sounds offensive but… how can you be so sure he’s…”, don’t say _that_ , Haknyeon-ah, “fine? Well?”

“Alive?”, Sunwoo said, looking straight at the older’s eyes. It made him shiver. “Hyunjun is strong and different. He’s not like you or Eric. They wouldn’t be stupid to end him, even if they fear him.”

It only made the university student more confused. “You think they fear him?”

His response started with a scoff, then he kept staring at Haknyeon with his dark eyes. “It would be reckless not to.”

He gulped. He was starting to get scared of the boy _himself_ , and he literally only knew his first name and age. “What about you?”, he decided to change the subject.

Sunwoo frowned. “What about me?”

“Well… you know your friend’s curse right?”, he nodded. “But you don’t know your own?”, he nodded again. Haknyeon made a thoughtful face. “What do you think about all of this? Maybe you’re something like him.”

The kid stared down, deep in thought. “I’m not sure. I think I’m different than the average as he is but I wouldn’t… put me in the same place as him? He’s _powerful_.”

“You might be, too.”

Sunwoo turned to Haknyeon, wondering what he meant. “I… think it’s still different. Rather than being powerful I just think I’m dangerous”, he paused, looking at the older’s reaction but then continued as he showed no signs of either speaking or running away. “I do _things_ , hyung”, he said, suddenly opening to the older. “I do things I don’t know how, because I don’t even remember of doing it. It’s almost as if I didn’t in the first place. I feel like I’m sleeping or in a trance and once I wake up, I’m being blamed for horrible stuff. Everyone call their abilities a curse but mines”, he looked down for a few seconds, “is a real curse.”

He stayed quiet for a while, taking his time to interpret the younger’s words. “Would it be reckless to not fear you too, then?”, he suddenly said.

“…I think so. I would fear me too.”

The blond stared at him for a while, but then smiled. “I don’t fear you though.”

He shrugged, looking forward. “You seem to be the reckless type.”

“No, hear me out!”, he started, irrationally grabbing the younger’s wrist. “You look all dark and mysterious but, rather, I think you’re just… lonely. It’s understandable, after all you’ve been through.”

He scoffed. “Have you not heard a word I’ve said? I don’t know what curse I have but it hurts people.”

Haknyeon pouted. “But I still wanna help you.”

Sunwoo just stared a bit at him, face surprised, until he once again frowned. “You really _are_ those two’s friend.”

“I’m serious! Consider it as a repayment of you helping me with Euiwoong. I want to make you happy.”

“Gross.”

“Shut up, Kim Sunwoo. Do we have a deal?”

He frowned even more. “You are weird. We barely met.”

“Barely met but are already helping each other, so you should agree with this”, He grinned wide at the younger.

“I can't believe this.”

“You can't believe you are agreeing?”, he tried, smiling at the younger.

He rolled his eyes. “Believe whatever you want to, hyung.”

Haknyeon wanted to refute, but then Sunwoo got up and, after a quiet respectful nod, left the train. The blond pouted but, in contrast, was happy he met him. Not only because he was going to help him with Euiwoong but, well. He seemed nice. And he genuinely wanted to make him smile and feel happier.

* * *

No matter how much Juyeon looked at it, they should go back to where it started: searching up on the streets. Sure they didn't have a drone like before, but their search area was smaller this time, with Chanhee's faint memory of where the telepathic kid had been before, so looking up by feet didn't sound like a bad idea. It would be quite tough but it wasn't like they were searching all around the city this time.

Chanhee, though, disagreed. For him, this was a waste of time. Just because he had _some_ idea of where the building Hyunjun was on when they first found him is located it didn't mean he was absolutely right of it, besides, walking around somewhere that could be far from their goal was tiring and useless. Either way, he didn't want to trust his memory since the strange boy _did_ enter into his mind with the intention of messing it up, he could have manipulated his memory into leading them on the opposite direction, which only meant they should definitely  _not_ be in there. He didn't know how far Hyunjun's abilities could go besides that it _was_ far and could be harmful, so there was a possibility this was either misleading or a trap. And he did _not_ want to discover if his guts were or not correct.

“Jaehyun-hyung said he was still under training, right?”, Juyeon reasoned. “Before he stopped talking to us. So maybe he doesn't know how to use his gift enough to change your memories, not that much I think.”

“He also said he's being manipulated into being their faithful little soldier and we do not know how loyal he can be, so I don't know. Sometimes you go beyond your knowledge to protect what you care about”, he replied with a frown.

His best friend sighed. “I think it's worth to try. It's not like we have anything else, anyway, so even if we're moving away from the real place at least we will know where he isn't.”

The smaller boy didn't like that logic but decided not to refute. Either way, he _knew_ his longtime friend knew he was displeased with it. He didn't need to voice it.

“From what I recall it was a business building, and you said it was somewhere around Gangnam. It makes more sense than not,” the older reasoned.

“Whatever”, the other simply said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just get going.”

Juyeon once again sighed, but then nodded. They have never been around this part of the country, obviously, so the older got lost in the view. Sure he spent a good time in Seoul, but there was something about this district that made it… captivating. Probably because it was fancier than everywhere the duo have been.

As the taller admired some random building, Chanhee was as aware as he always been, looking left and right. He didn't want to be there, but he was here now and should do his best to achieve something. He sighed, but he kept following Juyeon’s instructions left and right.

Usually, when they disagreed, they would sit down and talk it over, mostly with Jaehyun as a mediator. This time, there was no mediator, and both sides were _tired_.

It was bond to chaos.

“It’s been four hours and we found literally nothing”, Chanhee said annoyed, standing still while his companion kept walking. He sighed, even more annoyed. “Seriously, can’t we back off now? We clearly don’t know _what_ we’re looking for and need more goddamn clues.”

Juyeon scratched his head in frustration but still kept looking around. “No, trust me, I _feel_ that we’re on the right way.”

“I trust you. _Duh_. I've trusted you all my goddamn life and follow you around, and look where it got us into!”

The older stopped in his tracks, turning to look at his best friend. “Excuse me?”

He made a face at that, which was unreadable for the other. That _never_ happened, not once in over a decade that they met each other. “You heard me. I told you that Younghoon-hyung inviting us for that hellhole was fishy but you thought it would be a good idea to do the right thing. But in the end it wasn’t! They were using us, and now they want to do monstrous things, and we can do nothing about it!”

“Of course we can, this is why we’re doing all of this search!”, Juyeon shouted until he realized they were both in the middle of fucking Gangnam-gu shouting about secretive, _dangerous_ stuff. He gritted his teeth at that. “Look, this is a waste of time.”

The younger scoffed, crossing his arms. “That’s what I said.”

“No, I mean us arguing. Time is ticking and”, he moved closer to his partner, “I don’t want anyone to be hurt.”

Chanhee blinked at that, realization hitting him. “You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

Juyeon looked taken aback at the accusation. “Why would I hide something from you?”

“I don’t know, you never did so.”

“And suddenly you think I did it _now_?”

He put some thought at that. “Well, you just tell me to follow you and trust you without telling me anything, what do you want me to think of, huh?”

“Maybe I want you to fucking trust me?! Which you obviously don’t”, he groaned, turning around and walking away.

The younger kept blinking in confusion, not really understanding what had just happened. “Juyeon-ah, where the fuck do you think you’re going?”, he said, running towards him and pulling his arms.

The older gave him a cold glare which made him shiver. “I’m gonna follow my guts and fix this”, he simply said, walking again.

This time Chanhee didn’t follow him. He didn’t know what he should do in a situation like this, Juyeon was his only friend, only family. He was literally all he had.

But now he turned his back on him.

* * *

Sangyeon was frustrated. Nothing he wrote made sense, nothing he played had the right flow, and it was pissing him off. He was bored, but worse, he was _blocked_.

Usually, when that happened, he’d just knock at Kevin’s and they’d figure out something. They always did. But he had said he was busy with... well, he didn’t really catch it. Was it something about a personal project? Maybe it was something personal, probably art related, he didn’t know. It was never specified, but thinking now, it was what made more sense in the older’s mind. Either way, he probably shouldn’t bother the kid.

However, that didn’t really help him. If he can’t talk about it to Kevin, then, _who_? Jacob was as busy as the younger, probably even busier, so he thought he shouldn’t bother him too. But the other option was… _Younghoon_. He wasn't even a musician, and they weren't that close, so it didn't make sense to contact him.

Maybe the foreigner was busy, but also… he thought it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?

(Also, he _kind_ of missed the slightly younger boy's voice, considering they haven't met in a while and that that he studies somewhere else, they really just stuck with texting a few, short times between each other's classes.)

It took a while for the Canadian to pick up, which made the other think that maybe it wasn’t a good idea after. “ _Hello_?”, he said in English.

“Jacob, hey”, he shyly started.

“Oh, Sangyeon-hyung. I wasn’t expecting you to call, is everything alright?”

“Ah-- Yes, sure. I just…”, he breathed in. “I have been blocked on a thing and kind of needed an external opinion. Unless you’re too busy, then--”

“Well, I was studying”, he started with his sweet voice, “but maybe it doesn’t hurt to give it a listen. Do you have anything ready?”

Sangyeon nervously laughed at that. “I _kind_ of do, but I didn’t really like it, so it’s unfinished. And messy.”

“It can’t be _that_ bad if it was made by you, hyung! Play it for me.”

The older was glad that they were chatting over the phone - _who even uses telephones anymore when video chats exist? You are so old school hyung,_ Kevin’s voice suddenly echoed - because otherwise, Jacob would probably tell how embarrassed he felt with those words. But since it was obviously left unnoticed, he just went towards his computer and played the first few chords of a song he's been stuck on and decided to not delete the record completely. It was a bit different from what he used to write, it was more melodramatic. He composed it thinking in the perspective of a lonely, pinning man, but maybe because of that, he wasn't so sure of what to do with it. He usually wrote happy, romantic kind of music alongside Kevin and, when they did something different, it was usually something bright and positive. This was quite painful, actually, considering the few lines he had written and _thank God_ wasn't into the recording. He didn't want Jacob to hear it and assume things about him.

“Wow”, he said with his sweet voice once Sangyeon paused it. “It's… _wow_.”

The older couldn't help but laugh a bit. “Can't you go a little more specific than this?”

“Sorry-- it's just quite good and very different from what I was expecting, it's all.”

“Yeah, I agree. I wanted to try something new but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.”

“Well, if I could give my two cents I do think the instrumental doesn't really blend in together especially in the pre-chorus. This song is good but I would give some extra attention to that.”

The older wrote it down. “Anything else you'd like to point it out?”

The Canadian stayed a while humming in thought, and the other realized how soothing the sound was. “I… think so, since it's just the instrumental, but it's overall good. Can't wait for you to write the lyrics!”

“Yeah, I-- actually I've been stuck in that too.”

“ _Huh_. How long have you been working on this, hyung?”

The older had to stop to remind himself of when it was it. “Somewhere between the talent show and Kevin's birthday?”

“What! You've been stuck for at least a month? I can’t believe--”, Jacob paused a bit, but quickly sighed and spoke again. “Do you want some help?”

“No, no, don't worry, I'll manage! It's sweet of you but it's not the end of the world. Still, you gotta study anyway, don't you?”

The line went silent for a few seconds and then Jacob sighed loudly. “ _Yeah_ , I do. I'm sorry hyung. But I promise you I will help you once I am done with exams.”

Without thinking, Sangyeon smiled at the phone. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me hyung! We are friends. I mean, the western meaning, I don't mean to be disrespectful you're still my hyung, haha”, he laughed it off nervously.

The older’s smile quietly dropped. “Don't worry, I get what you mean. Well, I will let you study then, bye.”

His younger friend said one of his iconic _buh-bye!_ before turning off the phone, Sangyeon doing it as well.

He sighed and looked back to the papers he had with the lyrics. Suddenly, a faint sparkle of inspiration ignited in him.

* * *

“Do you know who your boss is?”, the kid suddenly asked, curious.

The older looked over his shoulder so he could look at the other, brow furrowed. “Do _you_ know him?”

“You know I don't.”

Jaehyun grinned at that, for some reason that the younger couldn't quite name it. “ _Right_. Well, if you don’t know him what makes you think _I_ do? Aren't you supposed to be his son?”

Hyunjun kept staring at the other, face twisted in disgust at the thought. “ _No_ ”, he carefully said in a whisper. “I mean, I can’t be. There is something weird with this, I just don’t know what. Don't you find weird that a son doesn’t know who their father is, personally? I barely even know his full name, nor ever saw him.”

The other seemed in thought. “Well, I _do_ know two kids who don’t know any of their parents, but their situation is very different from yours so I guess I shouldn’t compare”, he said, turning his attention back to his papers.

The kid nodded quietly at himself, eyes now fixed on his feet, but he soon looked up to stare at the back of the man’s head. “Do you know anything about him? Or this, I guess?”

“Define _this_ ”, he said, not looking up. 

He stopped to think a bit, not being sure about it himself. “Well. He’s obviously not my father, my _real_ father. Which means I have parents somewhere, which _also means_ this whole place is a lie and that I’m probably a pawn to something bigger. And you must know it,”, he found himself scoffing, finally realizing something. “You _do_ know. You _obviously_ do, you work with them and they trust you enough to tell you what’s going on, at least part of it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even know I exist. Right? There is something about this and you are pretty familiar with. _Right_?”

Hyunjun could hear the loud noise of the binder being quietly shut, Jaehyun now turning his chair to look directly at him. His expression was serious but if he was being completely honest, he could feel some type of pride, or maybe joy. “What do you want to know?”

He didn’t know. He didn’t know what he wanted to know and it was pissing him off, because he was certain the older could have the answers or at least some hints. “Can I trust you?”, he decided to ask, voice weak. He felt vulnerable, like a child who had lost his way home, but it wasn’t like he had anything to lose. “I want to escape whatever this place is, I don’t want to be used”, he spoke before the scientist could answer him, “and I feel like I can trust you in this.”

He crossed his arms. “I want to say you can trust me, but I don’t think I’m in place to say that.”

Hyunjun blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think this decision should come from you?”, he said in a questioning tone, face just as unsure of his own words. “I’d be honoured, but it’s not something I can order you to feel”, he then laughed sadly. “It’s what Chanhee kept telling me when I told him he could trust me”, he quietly said.

The kid nodded. It made sense, in a way.

Wait.

_Chanhee?!_

Something clicked in the younger's brain. He keeps mentioning how he's close friends with two kids.  _Two_. And one of them was named Chanhee. This was too much of a coincidence, and Hyunjun felt quite uneasy at this. 

He was friends with the two boys who were watching him that day, which one of them were Chanhee. What does this mean? That Jaehyun is indeed to be trusted? Or is this a sign that goes against the idea? He doesn't know much about that duo, maybe they were bad people, which made the older just as bad. Maybe they were trying to do something good, which made the older just as good as them. He didn't know. He didn't know any of the three of them so he couldn't know this. 

Hyunjun cleared his throat. “Is this Chanhee one of the kids you keep mentioning?”, he asked casually, hoping the older wouldn't find his curiosity unusual.

He didn't, apparently, just quietly tilting his head at the question. “I don’t talk about them _that_ much.”

“You do, though. Almost every session, not that I’m keeping track or anything like that,” he shrugged.

The older sighed. “Really? Damn, and I told myself not to think about them too much.”

Hyunjun quietly nodded. He wanted to ask more - why shouldn't he mention them? How did they meet? Were them… like him? - but then the door was opening and Jaehyun turned to take one of the binders and hide it, Hyuksoo entering the room with a serious face.

“You two are chatting way too much”, he said. The kid saw the older gulp.

“Of course, Jaehyun-ssi has to question me and write the answers down. He can’t check on me if he doesn’t do it.”

The oldest stared for a few seconds to him who kept his expression as neutral as possible.

“Sure, I guess. Is everything done?”

“Yup, we just finished today’s appointment”, the scientist said. “Will you be taking the records, like always?”

“It won’t be necessary”, the oldest said and that caught Hyunjun’s attention. The past few years was filled with patterns and every time one was broken something unexpected happened. Last time he was introduced to Lee Jaehyun, who was now his private, weekly doctor, and even if he ended up connecting with him somehow it wasn’t pleasant in the beginning. And Hyunjun could tell the same would happen this time. “Someone else will take the records in a few days. He is set to watch the next appointment, to see Hyunjun-goon’s improvement himself. It will be his birthday soon, after all.”

The kid stared at the man, not really liking where this was going. Yeah, it was soon his birthday, which means his time was running short. “Can I know who is that someone supposed to be?”, he asked at Hyuksoo once he got up.

The man simply smiled at him, saying his farewells to the scientist and taking towards the car, back to their home.

Hyunjun’s gut was tingling. It was tingling, telling him it was about time for him to run away, turn his back on whoever was trying to use him and to hide from them. His gut was never wrong, and if he was feeling this uneasy it could not mean anything good.

…

Younghoon sighed, looking at his old papers. He decided to bring it from there but thought he’d never touch it. He even considering burning them down a couple of times, but instead, here was he: looking at them in details as much as he used to before.

He got the closest binder - one he had taken and analyzed before - and wrote a few things about it. He wasn’t _so_ sure of it, and as a scientist, he should never take notes that aren’t certainly facts. But he still did it, because his gut told him that it was not a coincidence and those were indeed facts. He just didn't have how to prove it, but eventually, he would. Probably. 

Younghoon looked at the name of the report and considered changed it as well. Junyoung didn’t like being called as Junyoung, after all, he thought as he scratched it over. _It’s Bae Jacob now._

He looked at it once more, checking it for one last time before putting it back onto his hidden boxes. Or maybe he should put it on a nearby shelf, in case he decided to look at it again.

>   * Bae ~~Junyoung~~ Jacob
> 

> 
> Birthday: May 30th, 1997
> 
> Residence: ~~Lives in Canada but comes to Korea once a year~~ Currently studying at Korea University
> 
> Status: ~~Dormant?~~ Definitely awaken
> 
> Level: Unsure

He stared at the last category, thinking deeper about it. He was still unsure… but it was powerful, that he was sure. He just didn’t know how, so he decided to add a simple asterisk, putting it in the newly assigned shelf.

Another binder caught his attention, this one labelled Moon Hyungseo. He decided to take it off the box too, but was against opening it. He remembered this case, although he never saw it with his own eyes. The kid was younger than him and he was seen as a threat… and things did not go well for him. He’d never understood why they would keep records of someone they decided to kill before they hit ten years old, but when Younghoon decided to turn his back at them he didn’t really have many options of what to take, he just took some stuff. This file happened to be one of them.

He decided to keep it beside Jacob’s, just in case. It felt weird and he wanted it in hands if his gut was proven right.

He sighed again, even more bored, and took another binder, this one without a label. Until now, at least, as he wrote a name in it, and then started writing down a report with what he knew.

>   * Lee Sangyeon
> 

> 
> Birthday: November 04th, 1996
> 
> Residence: Korea, never left the country
> 
> Status: Awakening
> 
> Level:

Once again, Younghoon looked at the last category, unsure of what to put. Dangerous? Not that harmful? Unsure? Yeah, unsure fitted the best. He hadn’t fully awake yet and he had no idea what he was dealing with.

He closed it, putting it beside Hyungseo’s. This was annoying. He couldn’t do much besides taking goddamn notes and this won’t help a bit. 

 _‘You're the most caring person ever’_ , Jaehyun’s voice echoed and he felt annoyed. It was annoying how he was right, how well he knew Younghoon and how badly he cared. How much he wants to fix all of this mess.

But he… he can’t. He shouldn’t. Because he cares!

This was so frustrating! He wants to help but he can’t because if he shows himself again it will risk all of them! Not only Jaehyun but Juyeon and Chanhee too! He’s dying to help them because he cares, but he can’t _because he cares_!

He sighed. Blackmail is a bitch.

Well, he h ad to do something, he couldn’t be still. He just… couldn’t be caught.

…

Jaehyun couldn't believe his ears. “I'm done? What do you mean, I'm done?”

The secretary - Na Yoomin, the name said - looked bored at him. “It means that you did a good job and can go back to your house, like, your _real_ house. For now, you have no new appointments.”

“I still have one with Hur Hyunjun-ssi next week though. Kwon-nim confirmed for me a few minutes ago.”

She tapped on her keyboard before answering. “Weird, but yes you do. I was still told that you can return to your home, unless you would rather sleep in our _very_ comfortable dorms.”

The man laughed awkwardly at the woman's irony. “I guess I'll pass it, noona.”

Yoomin rolled her eyes. “Brat. Stop being informal with me, I didn't allow it.”

He laughed, he knew she didn't mean it otherwise she wouldn't be so… nice. He waved her farewells and was about to leave when she called him again. “Yes?”

“Are you still hanging out with… your old crew?”

Jaehyun breathed in before answering. “No”, he lied. “There is no reason for me to, since they don't work here anymore. I work alone now. Why are you asking this so suddenly?”

She frowned. “You can tell me if you are, I'd never frame you.”

He just shrugged. _Maybe_ Yoomin was trustworthy, but he would never let his guard down toward _any_ of his coworkers, especially since he was about to betray them. Besides, it wasn't only him who'd be in danger if he slipped.

“Anyway, I'm glad you aren't. You know, Jaehyun”, she started, moving closer to him so she could speak in a lower tone, “you've proved your value in here, which is good, but it's not like your past will be easily forgotten. Both Juyeon and Chanhee quitted quite suddenly, and then months later Younghoon… did what he did. So it's obvious that our superiors will keep an extra eye on you, so be careful, okay? Just play within the rules and you will be fine.”

He sighed. “You have nothing to worry then, noona. Well, if that's all”, he trailed off, walking towards the exit, Yoomin not interrupting him this time.

It felt really odd to be walking in the streets. It was quite late already, no one but himself out, but still, he's been staying in their buildings for too long. He forgot how it was.

But even so… he was quite lazy to walk his way home. It was quite far… and it wasn't like there were many people around. So instead of wasting his time, he simply breathed in, imagining his big television and comfortable couch and, in no time, he was home.

He sighed loudly. “Finally.”

His ability really was a gift for someone as lazy as himself.

Looking around, his house was pretty much the same, except for some mess here and there. And also the two boxes of pizza he was certain he did not buy. Or the body sleeping on his couch.

What the fuck.

 _Who the fuck_?, he thought, getting ready to beat the intruder, but not before taking something in hands and removing the blanket on their small body shape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't understand how music work, just how to appreciate it, so i have no idea how that sangcob conversation should be, like, to be more plausible, so im sorry for that  
> aLSO SORRY FOR THE JUNEW DRama i had to remind yall what this story is about and what better than drama?  
> another thing, i'm so mad at lee jaehyun for [mentioning his fucking power on the play literally the day after i fucking wrote his scene (from 0:48 to 0:55)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxPX68LqzHc)like bitch i had a fuckng heart attack because how come he said something so fitting out of some of the details i had since motherfucking december????? HOW DID U KNOW??????? CaN U REaD MINDS TOO MISTER?????????  
> i admit this chapter was quite disappointing but whispers ᵖˡˢ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᵘʳ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰᵗˢ ᶦ ˢᵗᶦˡˡ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᶜᵒⁿˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ ᵛᵃˡᶦᵈᵃᵗᶦᵒⁿ ⁽ᵇᵘᵗ ˡᶦᵏᵉ,,,,, ᶦᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᶠᵒʳᶜᵉ ʸᵒᵘʳˢᵉˡᶠ! ᵘʷᵘ⁾  
> anyway, i'll probably delay next chapter again, so heads up to that! sorry beforehand :< i'm on my last few weeks of this semester but GOT ILL and am quite behind some subjects and i have another ff thing in the meantime?????? so yeah sorry pls be patient


	8. Chapter 7: The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All you could do was follow up what fate wants. This, or try to fool it. But be warned, it’s not an easy task to fool fate, since it tends to always be a step ahead of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternative title: shit is going down  
> hey so uhhhh i changed/added some tags! included platonic junew and sangkev because they're relevant!!! uwu  
> also uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh maybe i'll stop with the summaries really soon so don't be too scared if the next chapters dont have one (still thinking about it tho)  
> as i wrote this chapter i reread the past ones and realized the timeline is fucked up. without spoilers, a specific date is important but i ended up writing so much on the events _before_ this date it looks a bit messy, besides i was focusing too much on each member's personal issue and powers (which in my mind it's the secondary/side plot) i didnt develop much of the actual plot, which kind of was required before said specific date and i had to improvise? yeh.... please ignore those holes and dates/mention of time overall unless they are stated as important!!!!!!!! i'll try not fucking up as much as before  
>  also i felt like the explanation about hyunjun's power _s_ in chapter 5-but-actually-4 were written in a confusing way and i'm sorry for that. but dont worry, there is a better explanation coming through!  
>  **08302018: betaed** (finally), **will need rereading at least hwall's final scene, but it would be good if you gave the entire chapter another read!**  
>  this is all for now. let's go!

Jaehyun held the random lamp in hands, breathing quietly, before removing the blanket on the body on his couch, ready to hit them in case of any threatening sudden move. However, once he took it off, he tensed up for _another_ reason. “Chanhee?!”

The boy, who was now fully awake, quickly got up to defend himself until he heard the other’s voice and looked up, eyes mirroring the surprise of the older. “Hyung”, he whispered in disbelief, voice weak. “Is it really you?”

The older took a careful look at the other. He looked _so_ different: his hair had grown, his dark circles had darkened, and it seemed like he lost weight. Besides, instead of looking at him in distrust, he was visibly glad Jaehyun was in front of him, guards all down.

It was strange, and that made him keep his own guard up. “Yeah, it’s me. What are you doing here-- And where is Juyeon?”

Upon hearing that last part, Chanhee stayed quiet for a while and frowned, looking down. “Back home, probably”, he whispered.

The older sat down on the couch, trying to look at the other straight in his face but he would not look back. He sighed. “What happened between you two?”

Chanhee pouted. “We had a misunderstanding?”, he tried.

“You two never have misunderstandings.”

That made the younger laugh but it didn’t really seem that he had enjoyed those words. “We always did, hyung. Always. We just never let that separate us, until now, apparently”, he dropped his shoulders. “I think I said too harsh things to him this time, and he didn’t take it well. I mean, _obviously_ ”, he scoffed at himself.

Jaehyun breathed in calmly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

The boy turned to eye the older and he felt like the younger was getting ready to blurt it all, but in seconds he dropped his sight again, giving up on the idea. “You should go to bed though, it’s late. I shouldn’t bug you more.”

“I wouldn’t mind listening to my dongsaeng before that. I know you don’t trust me half as much as you trust Juyeon, or even Younghoon, but I’m here if you need someone to rely on, okay?”

Chanhee didn’t reply for a while, probably deep in thought. But then he sighed. “Fine, I’ll trust you.”

It took the younger a long breath for him to start speaking, in a weak voice, about what happened in a couple of days ago. How Juyeon thought things one way and him the other, how they ended up trying to progress onto their search, how they ended up arguing instead of walking forward, and how he started suspecting the older which was probably what made him the most annoyed at Chanhee. His best friend, his friend for _life_ , suspecting of him over something so dumb as a simple misunderstanding.

“I’m awful”, he finished. “I couldn’t face him after being so rude so I came here instead.”

The older scratched his head. “You two must talk it out, and you can’t just keep hiding in here.”

“I know but-- How do I--?”, he started, not knowing the exact words.

“Apologize?”

“Yes. How do I apologize to him? He probably hates me, hyung.”

“Chanhee-yah”, he started, putting a hand on his shoulder, but then quickly taking it off seeing the other wasn’t comfortable with contact. “Sorry. Chanhee-yah, you will never know how he is feeling without confronting him. He probably doesn’t know why you decided to disappear as well.”

“Oh my God”, he gasped. “I really _am_ awful.”

“Wha-- Choi Chanhee, stop saying that. This doesn’t make you awful, just human, okay?”, he watched the younger in silence until he saw him nod. “You know, go to sleep, we will talk to him tomorrow after breakfast, if that is okay with you.”

The younger pouted again and nodded again. They stayed nearly a minute in silence so the older decided to move towards his room and let the younger in peace on his couch, but a few steps in he heard Chanhee calling him, “Hey, hyung…”

He turned to him. “Yes, Chanhee?”, he quietly asked, looking at the other who was still looking down.

“Can I… sleep in your bed? With you?”, he suddenly said shyly, eyes staring at the floor beside the lack of light.

Jaehyun gave him a glare, he wasn’t really fond of sharing his _small_ bed. But the moment the boy looked at him in such a sad way, waiting for his answer, he couldn’t tell him no. “Sure, come here kid.”

He smiled, grabbing the older’s hand. “Thanks, hyung.”

* * *

It was photography class and _okay_ , maybe Kevin should be paying attention to his class like any clever university student should do, and not stare at his phone with someone else’s blog stared back at him. But, well, it wasn’t _any_ blog. It was The Truth Reporter’s and, as dumb as the name sounded, they _did_ have some good tea to serve.

They posted frequently, although it wasn’t daily, and they didn’t only write in one format since they had different types of posts: sometimes it was just a stupid article about their dumb opinion of why people who are changed should keep on being chased down, how they are freaks who should die; other times they leaked information, exposing a company or person; and at other times - the type of posts Kevin would never miss one - they posted a list of names of changed people, some ordinary, some changed, some are missing and some end up ‘suddenly’ vanishing after the list is published. Sure, he’s been reading this person’s blog for nearly a year now, but most of the time he hated it. They were _so_ radical and _so_ against those who are changed it made Kevin’s blood boil but… as much as he disagreed with their opinions and _wanted_ to ignore them, they shared things the media would never _dare_ to. He had no idea how or where they got all those information, but strangely, most seemed to be believable. They also were often right everytime they decided to write an article exposing someone who secretly had abilities, _just because_ , they’d say at the top of the post. Every. Single. Time.

Their stupid blog was a resource of information of what the fuck was going on.

(He was _still_ astonished when it was made into the newspaper broadcastings that a very reputed attorney who planned to start a career in the politics was discovered as one of _them_ because of a post by The Truth Reporter. By then they didn’t have many readers, but now anything posted in their blog had thousands of views, and they were the favourite blog of conspiracy theorists.)

Maybe this is why he didn’t despite the idea that this person was anonymous, or how much they hated those people. Maybe they knew more than they told and indeed, they should not be trusted.

But wanting to _end_ them? That was where Kevin couldn’t sympathize with their opinions, not even a tiny bit.

He sighed at the thought and decided to take a look at their latest post. It was from yesterday and he already read it - more than once, just because he was checking if there wasn’t any hidden info between the lines - and it was one of their pointless rant about how much he despised and feared changed people, how they looked like any of ‘us’ but weren’t ‘us’, building a whole dumb metaphor just to make their point seem valid. But it just looked like ignorant bullshit in Kevin’s eyes, so he decided to do himself a favour and look at the comment section instead.

> parkimchi [+829 -152] yeah u tell’em!!!! i’m so tired of these people acting around like they were like us when they obviously arent. im glad ur doing gods work by exposing them tbh its good to know we still have hope
> 
> appalee [+743 -190] took the words out of my mind!!!!!!! really, i have two children who are two and five. 2 and 5!!!!!!! it frightens me to think how exposed they could be to those people. as much as i know my older son’s teacher could be one of them!!!!
> 
> canadianbabe [+183 -598] some people r so quick into the judgmental and hate speech,,,, most of them r just living their lives, they did not ask to literally vanish??? people lose their friends, family, beloved ones and ur jst worried that they might be anyone??? tht u might cross ways w them and theyll kill u???? why didnt they already then????

That last comment was by him. _Obviously_ , with such an amazing username… And damn, look at those upvotes! He definitely was not expecting this much of a positive feedbac-- wait a minute. Someone wrote a comment below his own and they weren’t laughing at him, asking him why was he reading The Truth Reporter then, or accusing him of anything. But their username was _Jejudotangerine_? That’s a _kid_ ’s username, what the hell.

> > jejudotangerine [+2 -39] wow, i’m surprised someone actually thinks around here. seriously, i thought i was the only person who could only disagree while reading the whole post... btw, there are some changed folks whose ability is so foolish it couldnt even hurt a FLY. some people are just blind to hating what thy dont understand.

The Canadian blinked at the message. Wow. Someone with a brain! The world is not so lost after all! He regretted calling them a kid just by their username, because they seemed really smart. Whoever this person is we need to befriend, he thought, as he started writing them a very sincere reply--

“Moon Kevin”, he heard someone say, touching his shoulder lightly, but enough to make him wake up from his thoughts. Kevin looked up, seeing his teacher looking down on him.  “My class ended five minutes ago yet you’re still here.”

“Oh. Sorry, Mr Park, I got a bit distracted.”

“So I’ve noticed”, he said, smiling. “You’ve always been the dreamy type but it’s gotten worse. I hope it doesn’t affect your presentation next week.”

The Canadian boy blinked a few times. “Presentation, sir? I thought we still had a couple of weeks left for that.”

The professor quietly looked at the man, maybe expecting him to be joking. “Well, it _is_ March 8th which, according to my schedule, is the last class before the presentations of your classmates and yours as well. Come on, Kevin, you were more focused when you double majored.”

He could feel his cheek get red out of embarrassment. “I- I’m sorry, a lot has been happening and I ended up forgetting, but don’t worry I will show you a stunning project that will _wow_ everyone in this classroom!”

Mr Park lifted a brow. “I sure hope so.”

Kevin laughed nervously, already turning around to leave the classroom. “Well, since your class ended I could get going--”

“Wait, Kevin.”

The student slowly turned back at the teacher, wishing this moment could end. He did have a project to finish. And actually _start_. “Yes?”

He sighed. “You know if there is something unusual happening you can tell me, right? I’m a teacher but I can also be a friend.”

“Uh, sure, teacher. I’ll keep it in mind”, he said, without really meaning it and politely nodded, heading home. A few steps in, however, he heard a voice he knew so well call him, making him stop on his track and look back. “Sangyeonie-hyung, hey-- Oh, _and_ Younghoon-hyungnim too.”

“Just hyung is fine”, the younger of the two said for the nth time but he didn’t look annoyed for the extra formality. He was most likely just saying it automatically.

The oldest of the two looked at them with a weird face but decided not to comment on it. “Anyway, Kevin-ah, are your classes for today over? I wanted to show you something, it’ll be quick.”

“Oh, uhm”, the boy thought about it. Was he in a hurry? Yes. Would he die to give his hyung two seconds of his time, considering they haven’t really been in touch for the last few weeks, _because_ of himself? No. “Sure, hyung. What is it?”

He noticed the way Sangyeon’s face changed, from surprise to delight, in just a few seconds. That made the younger consider that maybe he wasn’t expecting that reply and he felt a bit guilty for that. “Oh, great! It’s a song I’ve been working lately, I’m considering to change the lyrics but I’m still not so sure about it. It’s a bit all over the place.”

Younghoon frowned by his side. “What are you saying hyung, it’s amazing.”

Sangyeon laughed embarrassed at that and-- what is Kevin even witnessing? Since when did they get this close? That was such a weird scenario. How to unsee?

The foreign boy decided to pretend that never happened while the older handed him his headphone, already plugged onto his phone, and pressed play.

It could sound like an exaggeration but the song was just a few seconds in and Kevin were already impressed. The song was really well produced, but also it was really different from Sangyeon’s common style. It was a bit darker, although it still had the emotional tone his hyung always added to his creations.

As soon as he thought he couldn’t be more blown away, the first verse went in. It was so _sad_ ; it reflected the thoughts of a man who was trying to build the courage to declare to his beloved one but didn’t think he’d actually get a great response, so every time he told himself he had to do it he’s sabotage himself and not actually do it. And then it was over, the song, but still leaving the man’s story open, probably because it had no end. He’d be pinning forever, not knowing if his love was indeed one-sided or not.

“Wow”, he whispered as soon as the song’s first notes replayed on his ear. “Hyung, this is amazing.”

“Isn’t it? I told him but he didn’t believe me”, Younghoon grinned at that.

Sangyeon smiled shyly at his dongsaeng. “Do you really think so?”

“Think? I _know_! By the way, keep these lyrics. It’s perfect. I would just fix the encoding here and there but it’s a keeper.”

“Thanks, Kevin-ah. I’m glad you liked it. But I wouldn’t have finished it if it wasn’t for Jacob’s help.”

The younger tilted his head. “He helped you?”

“Well, I called him and we chatted. It wasn’t a direct help but still--”

“You still haven’t thanked _me_ though”, Younghoon - oh yeah he was still here, quietly watching the two chat - said with his soft voice, an innocent pout on his lips.

Sangyeon rolled his eyes but kept smiling. “Thank you for letting me borrow your voice”, he monotonously said.

Kevin looked at the two for a few seconds, not believing what he was hearing. “Wait, the one singing--”

The biology major looked blankly at the younger. “Yeah, that’s my voice.”

He blinked a few times, not believing it. Sangyeon caught it and laughed loudly. “You know how I don’t like singing my own guide versions, and since both you and Jacob were bored I considered to call Younghoon and he, for some reason, agreed on singing for this.”

“It seemed fun”, he shrugged, biting on his bread.

“But it’s just the demo version. Once you finish your project and Jacob’s tests are over we could record the real thing.”

“Yes, my project, haha…”

The second youngest frowned at the oldest. “You still have your own exams to do, hyung, don’t you?”

The oldest looked away. “ _Maybe_ I do.”

“Hyung! You can’t neglect them”, he responded, crossing his arms.

“If it’s for the sake of my music? Watch me doing _just_ that”, he said smirking and then yawned.

The man sighed, turning to Kevin. “Please tell him not to neglect his exams.”

Kevin didn’t want to hear to Younghoon, but really, how could he not consider what he was asking him to? “Hyung, how would you feel if I fully devoted myself to this project and ignored my classes?”

Sangyeon looked offended. “No, I know what you’re trying to do.”

“Would you like it?”

He frowned. “ _No_ , I’d hate it and try to change your mind”, he said sighing. “Okay, you two win. I’ll save this song for later when all three of us are available.”

“Jacob-hyung and us two, right?”

“Right”, he said automatically but then stared at the younger. “What other three could I be referring to?”

“I don’t know just making sure”, he scoffed nervously. “Well, hyung, I have a project for my photography class that I totally did not neglect for personal reasons to finish! See you around”, he quickly said, already moving far from the two because he knew Sangyeon could tell when he was lying. 

(And _yeah_ , he had a project to do, but he also has to send Jejudotangerine a reply. He was interested in them, whoever they were.)

* * *

Changmin sighed as he stared at his phone that was showing him a failed level screen. To make it worst he was out of lives and his shift still had a couple of hours to end, which meant he’d need to spend them bored. For some reason, the shop he worked on was nearly empty at this time even if it wasn’t even night yet. Maybe it was that the location was really bad, considering there were  _at least_ other three convenience stores a couple minutes by feet. He sighed again, resting his hand on his cheek.

He was proven wrong, though, when a dark-haired man entered his shop. The cashier tried not to look at him, at least in a not so obvious way like a glare, but it was really hard not to. Firstly, he had nothing else to do, and, secondly, he was a bit… suspicious, maybe. Probably. Either way, he felt like he was being pulled by the other - who was probably his age or maybe older, he noted - like he was some sort of magnet. Like he had _no_ choice but stare.

Changmin kept silently observing the boy, who was running his eyes around the shelves too quickly for someone who was searching for food to buy. That made the cashier wonder what the other was doing, or if maybe he just read him wrong and he was just on the wrong shelf.

The other kept walking around the shelves, not really sure of what to take. It was making him even more bored to stare at him and he started considering to look at the roof instead until another person came in. A couple of steps in and the man looked straight at the cashier and sent him a kind good afternoon (to which he replied politely) and went towards the refrigerator. The one behind the counter kept looking as he grabbed a can of grape bongbong and whatever bag of snack was close enough for him to grip and once again directed himself for the cashier (who quickly pretended he wasn’t paying attention to the other’s actions).

“Hello, mister”, the customer said with a big grin on his face, “do you work here full time? You seem tired.”

The other just hummed politely, not really understanding his chit-chat. It happened sometimes, people randomly trying to start a conversation even when he had no interest in keeping it. But he doesn’t really say anything since he has to be polite.

(And because he sometimes, when in a good mood, does the same. Maybe it’s karma or something of the sorts.)

“It’ll be 7,800 won, will it be all?”

“Sure”, the man said and Changmin got a bit confused at his reply but didn’t mention it. Instead, he just took the man’s 10,000 won bill and handed him the charge.

But then, the man held his arm. “What are you--”

“Have you seen any of these people around this area?”, the man hissed, showing him a photo. There were of two young people, the camera probably taken from a place they couldn’t see the taker but that got their faces perfectl--

Wait a minute.

Changmin looked up, searching around the shelves. The other customer was still there. He looked at the picture again.

Shit, it was him. What should he say? Should he point at the dude? Should he lie? Why was this other dude here, to begin with, and why was he searching for those two men?

The one holding his arm noticed his internal dilemma, frowning. “Be honest. Your answer will be of big help. They’re dangerous.”

Those words didn’t help him at all. Help _who_? Dangerous? Were them… like him? Was this man hunting them? And _one of them was on his fucking workplace!_ His thoughts kept floating all around the place and he really wanted to run as fast as he could - which, thanks to his abilities, was _very_ fast.

The man tsked, putting the photo and charge on his pocket and leaving without another word, but not without giving him a card with a number, to which the man didn’t think twice before throwing at the trash bin. Changmin kept staring at the door, scared the man would be back and, he doesn’t know, arrest him maybe. For not cooperating. Or for simply being himself. There weren’t many people who knew it but he _was_ changed after all, and with this whole mess going on with the world, he feared to be easily spotted.

“Excuse me?”, he heard a voice in front of him and _fuck_ : it _was_ one of the dudes from the photo. Now that he was standing so close to him he could tell for sure.

And damn, he was really hot.

“Hello?”, he looked unamused. “I need to pay?”

“Oh. Oh yes, I’m sorry”, he said in a hurry.

The man nodded at him and looked towards the door. “Hey, have you noticed that y--”

“I know nothing!”, the cashier was quick to say.

The customer blinked and pointed to the exit. “You don’t know that your clock is frozen?”

“What…”, he looked where the other pointed at, above the door and… oh yeah. It said it was nearly two, even though he was sure it was way past that. “Oh. I haven’t seen it. Thanks for pointing out.”

For some reason, the man was laughing at him. “It’s okay, you must have been tired after staying hours behind that counter.”

“Haha, sure…”, he said awkwardly. “It will be 3,500 won. Anything else?”

“Nope, that’ll be all”, he said, still smiling, as he gave his money. “I’m Juyeon.”

The cashier looked at the other with his brow furrowed. “Why are you telling me this?”

The boy blinked innocently, shrugging. “I just felt like I should.”

He nodded. “Well, I’m--”

“Ji Changmin”, Juyeon said with a quick nod, face serious. “I know, you’re wearing a name tag.”

Oh. He was wearing a name tag. Of _course_ he’s wearing a name tag, he’s a goddamn cashier. He _has_ to.

“Well, Juyeon, here is your charge.”

“Thank you, Changmin. See you around”, he said, winking, and then left the shop.

The cashier returned to his door-staring, not really knowing how to react.

He turned to the trash bin, the man’s card looking back at him.

Changmin decided to take it and put on his pocket. Just because he felt like he should. 

* * *

Haknyeon looked at his messages and smiled. There was a couple of kaomojis sent by Eric with a cute message of how he didn’t know him for that long but already was one of his favourite hyung; a simple message from Changmin who apologized for being so bland (but he did say he’d take him to eat if he was free which, for him, meant more than any other present); and a ton of messages on his chat with his high school friends congratulating him for his birthday, which ended of Hyeongseop calling him old for being the only one fully twenty and Woojin remembering him he wasn’t that younger. His smile got a little wider at that but it quickly dropped. Haknyeon missed hanging out with them, but really, he didn’t have much patience to do it. He had to find Euiwoong and the shortest time he spent having fun could mean _much_ for him.

He decided to reply to his messages later, opening his computer, and in a few clicks the blog he has seen so many times was looking back at him.

“The Truth Reporter”, he whispered the English words, furrowing his brows. He despited at least half of what they posted, being _so_ against gifted people and openly writing hateful posts while hiding behind an anonymous username. _It’s for my safety!_ , their bio justified, _who knows if one of these bastards gets so triggered they will come after me and kill me?_ That stupid logic always made Haknyeon roll his eyes. But they _did_ know of things most people didn’t and the media kept hidden, even if some were… dubious.

To exemplify, he always made posts of missing people’s names - and called this “exposing the missing”, what an ass - signalling who were or weren’t changed, and who went or not missing _because_ they were changed. And, _obviously_ , Euiwoong was once listed in that same list.

Marked as ordinary, but with another mark signalling he was part of the second group which did not make any sense. It’s been nearly a month and that still didn’t make sense. He had no abilities, why would he go missing _because_ of them?

 _It’s because they think he is you_ , a voice whispered in his head. _It’s your fault._

He sighed. Yeah, it was. If he didn’t tell Euiwoong about himself, if he didn’t involve him with his issue, maybe he’d be okay right now and Haknyeon would be the one disappeared.

He wished he could go back and actually do things _right_. It would be ten times better, if not more.

“Haknyeon, sweetie?”

The boy quickly closed the window on his browser and turned to the door. “Mom! I told you to knock.”

“I did, you just didn’t notice”, she said. “It’s way past midnight, you should sleep. We did plan on going out to celebrate your birthday after all”, she sadly smiled at him but it quickly dropped. “Is everything okay with you, my son?”

“No. I mean, no, I’m perfectly fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

She sighed. “The day I stop worrying about you, it’s your turn to worry about me”, she said, moving towards the young man. “I know how hard it must be for you and it’s okay to deny what happened.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s okay to deny what happened to Euiwoong. It was sudden and it’s not something you’d expect, but we have to move on.”

“Mom. Euiwoong is missing, not dead.”

“I know, my son… but there is nothing we can do. The police are doing all they can--”

He scoffed. “No, they are _not_. They just got a few testimonials and called it a job well done and threw it all in the trash bin the second we went home.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”, she crossed her arms. “Son, I understand that you miss him but it’s not good for you to think so much about it, that’s not healthy. You’re nearly obsessive with it.”

“I’m not _obsessed_ \--”

“Ju Haknyeon”, she said, voice fierce. “You have your own life to focus on, but you’re focusing too much in this. Let them do their best while you do your best to keep on going, so once he’s back you’ll be strong to help him.”

The boy pouted, feeling defeated. She really did have a point, but also, he did not want to trust the police. He was sure they didn’t deserve it. However he wasn’t going to discuss with his own mother for that, so he just dropped his head. “I’m sorry, mom.”

The boy noticed his mom sigh but, in no time, she hugged him. “Don’t be, it’s understandable.”

She proceeded to pet his hair and it actually made Haknyeon cry. She didn’t ask anything else but quietly stayed by her son’s side until she told him to sleep because, after all, he was going to have a busy birthday a few hours later.

* * *

Chanhee woke up to an empty bed and the smell of breakfast. Jaehyun lived in a small place and the kitchen was a few metres away, so it was really strong. He didn’t really want to get up though, he wanted to do what he had done for the last couple days: watch television and not move a muscle. However he did tell his hyung he’d talk to Juyeon and apologize to him so, even if he did do as he wanted to, Jaehyun would kick his ass out of the bed to get some food and then kick his ass once again to leave the house.

Why didn’t he just lock Juyeon outside the house instead of him running away?

“G’mornin’ hyung”, he said, super tired. “Whatcha readin’?”

“This? It’s Hyunjunie’s report. The ones I hid, the _real_ ones”, he said, waving the small notebook.

“Oh yeah, because of me we never talked about him”, he said taking a bite, but then stopped. “Wait. You’re back.”

Jaehyun laughed. “You only noticed now?”

“No, I mean, this means something. Did they find you out? Or did something happen to the boy?”

“No, and no”, he said amused. “They just said my job was done and should rest. I still have one final appointment next week though but after that I have no more.”

Chanhee blinked in confusion. “What does this mean?”

“Well, for them it means they achieved whatever they wanted, but I lied on the reports so I don’t know what that actually means. Because they _didn’t_ achieve it.”

“You… are not helping.”

The older stared for a couple of seconds to Chanhee. “How much have I told you about him before I stopped to reply?”

“That he has mind control and he is being tested?”

He hissed. “So not much, huh. Well, I wasn’t lying, but that’s just the top of the iceberg. Yes, he has mind control but that’s not all. He has more than one, and that’s just his primary.”

The younger boy stopped eating and stared at the older boy. “ _What_. I thought they didn’t exist.”

“That’s what I thought at first too. They are rarer than the average of us but they still exist”, he explained. “I was told that it was his secondary and that they were trying to block it so the primary would emerge, but it was the opposite. Besides, the boy is _super_ smart. They tried blocking it but he has full control of his mind controlling abilities for a couple of years now.”

Chanhee nodded quietly after listening to the older’s story.  “But then what did you do? If he could control it, how did you make his other curse emerge? And what was it?”

“Well, it’s actually pretty close to his main ability, they’re related. He can-- Wait”, Jaehyun looked at him for a few moments, brows furrowed. “You’re not changing topics so I forgot about you and Juyeon, are you?”

He blinked. “Wha-- no, hyung! Of course not, I just really want to know. What if he is, you know, who we are looking for?”

“I highly doubt it. Don’t worry kid, I still have six days to solve things with him and we have to go home so you can apologize to Juyeon. It would be nice to have him by his side to the plan.”

“Plan? What plan?”

The older turned to him. “I don’t know, I’ll make it up once the three musketeers are reunited. Now get changed because we have plans”, he said, getting up.

“No, hyung! Come back here, tell me all!”

“Once you apologize, sure!”

Chanhee sighed. Maybe he would rather if Jaehyun kicked his ass instead of this.

…

“Good morning, Hyunjun-goon. Oh, and happy birthday, of course.”

The boy wanted to laugh. Happy. Sure. He simply stared back at the man, fake smile on his lips as usual. “Thank you, Hyuksoo-hyungnim”, he coldly said. “Should we get going?”

The man blinked in confusion. “Won’t you have some breakfast? You just got up.”

He shrugged. “Time is short, right? You told me yourself, sir. _Countless_ times.”

Hyunjun saw the man nod slowly and thanked he wouldn’t need to convince him with something else than words. “Well, if you insist, let’s get going.”

The man started waking with Hyunjun following his steps. “Since we’re going to meet them anyway, won’t you tell me who I’m meeting with?”

Hyuksoo eyed him. “Do you have any guesses?”

“No, why? Should I?”, he said, staring back with an expressionless face.

Honestly, he had. He was certain of who it was, but he wanted to be wrong so badly. He wished the older to tell him otherwise, but he decided not to ask because he knew he'd been proven right. His gut was telling him he’d be meeting whoever was in charge, whoever was Hyuksoo’s boss, who was probably Jaehyun’s boss as well. And most likely who knew about his own past.

The older man shrugged as he opened the car’s door. “No. I was just curious if you have been wondering about it. But don’t worry, you’ll find out soon.”

The boy frowned for a second, hoping Hyuksoo hadn’t noticed. “Well, whoever they are, let’s go.”

He heard a laugh. “Bluffing  _really_ doesn’t suit you, little boy”, he smiled weirdly. “It’s okay to be anxious for such a great moment.”

The boy rolled his eyes, not wanting to hear any of it, but it wasn’t like he had any say in it. Hyuksoo kept monologuing about how this moment was important but honestly he wasn’t on the same page. It was all too frightening.

He looked through the window once the car stopped. “This place looks like an office.”

“You’re right, but also wrong”, the man by his side spoke. “It was meant to look like one, but it’s much more than an office.”

He scoffed. “What, is it secretly a mafia or factory for something dangerous?”

Instead of laughing at him, he noticed the older one smiling. “I guess you could say that, but those aren’t the right words either.”

Hyunjun didn’t want to hear any more.

The car moved once again, going towards the parking lot to where a woman in formal wear waited for them. Once the vehicle was off, the stranger opened the door and smiled at the boy. “Hur Hyunjun, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Mister Park have been waiting for your arrival.”

He nodded quietly but didn’t say a thing. If it’s Mister Park who’s waiting for him, then he really guessed right. He was really going to meet the man who put him into this life.

It was something that kept bugging him, how he was a Hur and this person, whom he was told to be his father, was a Park. Of course he knew about adoption, but what the fuck. He didn’t feel like a son at all, but a prisoner. A puppet for something bigger than himself.

“Yes, thank you Jieun-ssi”, Hyuksoo said behind him. “Is he in his office?”

“Yes, but don’t worry, I’ll take him there.”

The man looked at her for a while. “You mean--”

“He’s going there alone, yes. These are direct orders Hyuksoo-ssi, don’t refute them”, she said that in a threatening tone but a smile still on display. Hyunjun decided he didn’t like her.

“Well, if that’s the case”, he trailed off, turning to the boy. “Just follow her, Hyunjun-goon. She’ll take you to where you’re requested. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

The boy nodded at the older and for once in a lifetime he wished Hyuksoo had been with him. He didn’t know what to expect of his meeting, just that he would most likely hate every second of it.

“Follow me”, the lady said, taking him to an elevator already waiting for them. Once they were both inside she pressed the highest number, and those caught the boy’s attention: the levels went both up and down. It meant the building wasn’t only the outside construction, but it went underground as well. That made him feel a little more frightened.

At least the lady didn’t do small talk. She just quietly took him to the correct floor, walked him towards a door and told him to get in, opening it just a bit. Hyunjun breathed in and nodded politely at her before entering, her following just behind, closing the door and standing in front of it. Why, did they expect him to run away, when he’s been trying to play the good boy for so long?

(Actually yeah, he really wanted to run away, but they did not need to know that.)

“Hyunjun-ah! It’s good to finally have you in my room”, the man in the room said. “I’ve been waiting patiently for this day.”

He caught himself nodding, maybe out of politeness but also out of fear. “Likewise, sir”, he replied, not really knowing what to say.

“Please, don’t call me so politely. Call me father.”

Hyunjun stared at the man he had just seen in pictures until now and felt annoyed. He refused to call him like that, instead just stared at him for what felt like hours, the man expecting him to say the words. “ _Sir_ ”, he said firmly.

The man sighed, showing something that seemed like disappointment on his face, but he smiled. “I guess it will take you some more time for you to get used, but it’s understandable”, he said, moving towards the chair on his table. “There is still a lot for you to learn, even if you’re nearly finished.”

Nearly finished. As if he was a thing. “Finished for what?”, he risked asking.

He stared at him. “You’re still standing. Don’t worry child, you can sit. As if you were at home”, he said pointing at a chair across the table. Hyunjun didn’t want to, but he obliged. “You’re special, my son. You’re _vital_ for our future. And I don’t mean _our_ like you and me, it’s something much bigger. We’re at a thin line here, and you by our side is very important.”

“So?”, he said in an uninterested tone. He just wanted to run, but he couldn’t.

He kept looking at the kid. “Well, I don’t know how much you know about us, but we’re a company who recruits people like you. Those who are changed, those with special abilities. Some are even our coworkers or partners in business, but we mostly rescue those from society, so they get full protection from us. But we aren’t really well liked, if you know what I mean.”

The boy didn’t, so he kept looking blankly at him.

“The world doesn’t like who are not ordinary, Hyunjun. Nor me, nor you. There are people getting killed every day for being different, and it would be the same for you. We are trying to do the best for our people, and for that we need you.”

He frowned in annoyance. He wanted to ask more but felt like right now wasn’t the right time. “I don’t see the point of me being here having to do with whatever your company do.”

The man smiled. “You have some idea though, right? About your gift. You know that you can change one’s memories, right?”

Hyunjun nodded. He knew it very well, it was the entire point of his years training. His secondary ability, how he could enter anyone’s mind and change what he found there. It was dark and _terrifying_ and he hated it. Maybe it was better if he always kept it hidden, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. They forced him to stimulate it, to awake it to its full capacity. Which happened, and they hoped he could control it.

“We needed it”, Mister Park kept talking. “Now, we have it. With you by our sides, we will be much stronger. People will hear us, will change the view they have of us.”

He licked his lips. “It’s out of control.”

The man tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

“I can’t control it yet, not fully. It’s not as useful as you think it is.”

That made the man laugh loudly, and considering they were in a large place, it echoed. It made him shiver. “Oh, silly kid. I _know_. We will take what we can, it’s fine”

“No, it’s not _fine_ ”, he caught himself blurting out. “I could damage them _badly_ if I don’t know what I am doing. They could go into insanity!”

The man just kept looking at him. “Well, if that’s what it will take for them to hear us.”

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. “But--”

“Enough”, he said, raising a hand. “Things are too new for you, I understand. But you eventually will understand. Who knows, you might even take my place. You are the one chosen to follow me, afterwards, son.”

“I’m not even your son!”, he shouted, getting up.

Hyunjun kept staring at the man, who looked at him with a blank face. “You haven’t been getting your proper treatment, have you?”

The boy stared confusedly at him, who was pressing numbers on his phone. “What are you--”

“Jieun-ah”, Mister Park said ignoring the kid. “Take him to a new therapist, and also call Hyuksoo up. There is something off with him.”

“What are you--”, he started saying but he was soon being grabbed to the woman who brought him there. “What is going on--”

“You don’t need to know”, she said, and he was about to defend himself out of her hands until another one - was someone else around him? - went in front of his face, some kind of cloth on it, and his consciousness slowly left him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~i had plans on writing that final scene a biiiiitttt more elaborated~~ fret not arthur from the past, i got yo back  
>  soooooo did you guess the person at jaehyun's right? probably not because i'm a bad writer but i've thought of chanhee since the fight sfdkhskfdhsfs actually i should not have cut that scene as how i did back in the previous chap but i didn't know how to write it (still didnt, hence why this chapter starts awfully) so i decided to end things there and make future me/me of right now deal with it. i love self sabotage!  
> also also i cant write parents being nice i'm sorry that that dialogue was so bad im a traumatized child but i tried my best and hak's mom is probably the best mom in the entire world!!!  
> thank you for reading it! also thank you for all the kudos and hits, this got 50 kudos and 1k hits recently and i felt like crying of joy ;____; i kept complaining about needing comments to feel validated and realized i never noticed how high the hits were. i should apologize for that, but in my defence, one comment is heavier than kudos and hits... because i directly can know what you're thinking of it instead of a counter telling me a pre-established message. if that makes sense? orz but still, i'm sorry for complaining about validation when, in a way, i've been getting it constantly, even if it wasnt what i wished to. it still is validation after all so i shouldn't complain at all? lol... i'll stop bitching about the comments, it's probably annoying for you to see it anyway haha...  
> well, again, thank you a lot for reading!!!! even if you just read it and closed the window right away, it still makes me glad that you're taking an interest in this weird ride! idk when the next chapter will be up but hopefully it'll be soon, since my previous semester ended and i have some weeks without needing to worry about university... but i dont think i'll be able to finish an entire chapter until classes come back and makes me busy (and i barely will have time next semester....) anyway, see ya! hopefully soon!  
>   
> views para [ke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI8uvfCsT68)ep[er](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR-QJtmn6ww)


	9. Chapter 8: Running minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You might think you won against fate, but then fall right into its trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title kind of taken from the texts that appear in the [walking in time mv](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi349ysBaW8) because i had 0 creativity this time (i barely managed to write the chapter sdjfhskfhksfshf)  
>  **i uhhhhhh did the thing where i edited the previous chapter and it's Vital for you to reread it if you read it before august 30th![*insert That One firmino's thumbs up picture here*](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DleKjczXgAI-pNf.jpg) so if that's the case, yall know what to do now. sorry!**  
>  second of all, fuck creker. just, fuck creker, no context needed. fuck you.  
> third of all, i mentioned on the previous chapter that i fucked up the linearity of the events and after i betaed that and decided to write this i noticed i had fucked up more than i intended to. so i'm sorry if it's so confusing, i'm trying to make it with some sense. it'll hopefully make more sense as the narrator/characters hints at the time passing. i'm considering into adding flashbacks or something like this to fix it, but i'm still thinking if i'll need to do it sdfhskfhsdkjfhsf i'm sorry again for being a fucking mess;;;  
>  **it has finally been beta'd but i kind of am not really happy with it so consider it semi beta'd!** either way, pls enjoy!

His shift hadn’t ended yet but Eric was already monologuing about his day to Changmin. However, this time, he was not hearing a word. He was too deep in thoughts, reliving the events from a few days ago. The man who questioned him, and the other who was in the picture. _Juyeon_ , he had introduced himself as. He still didn't know what he was supposed to do, who to trust. Or maybe it would be wiser for him to do nothing at all.

He was a simple person, living alone after cutting connections with his father who became toxic. Changmin hadn’t shut down  _all_ his connections with his family though, as still talked with his older sisters, who were always willing to listen to their maknae and help if needed. But he felt like a burden, there was too much going on at the same time and he couldn't bother them. They had their own lives.

Besides, they had no abilities like he did. It was another world, another set of worries that they would never understand.

Alright, he was too new to this world. Sure he’s developed his gift earlier in life, but he had always kept hidden about it. Changmin would rarely use it, and considering that the last time he did was when he ended up crossing ways with Eric (and that was only because he didn’t think there could be someone to witness him) he hasn’t used it _once_ the entire year. Which meant he also couldn’t really understand this world that he lived in, as someone changed. He passed as an ordinary human being everywhere he went to, didn’t have big struggles to hide his gift. Even so he was _still_ one of them, still was at risk. He still had to keep his guard up.

Which would go back to him: Juyeon. Who was he exactly? Which side was he on? Was he changed too, like him, and the man who had his photo was hunting him down? Was he someone dangerous, and rather than him the man was the one he should put his trust on? To be safe from Juyeon?

This was too confusing and Changmin had no idea what to do.

“Hyung, you’re not listening to me!”, the American whined. “Gosh, your mind is _loud_.”

He panicked. “Have you been hearing it all this time?!”

“No”, he assured with a worried face. “I mean, kind of but not really. It’s so loud I couldn’t even catch exactly what you’re thinking. It’s chaotic”, he licked his lips, “ _very_ chaotic. Are you… okay?”

Changmin looked away from his dongsaeng - and ended up looking at the clock. Nice, it was still frozen - and sighed. “I don’t know, Eric-ah. I feel so lost, honestly.”

The other seemed to sympathize with him. “You know that you can tell us, right? Just like we are going to help Sunwoo and Haknyeon-hyung, don't fret to trust us. Right, Sunwoo-yah?”

The older felt a shiver through his body, turning to the boy his friend had pointed at. Sunwoo has been here the entire time? He didn’t notice at all, the boy kept his quiet the entire time and was simply eating chips that were actually Eric’s, but he hadn't noticed that either. At least until now, as he saw the petit boy pout as his same age friend.

“You said you weren’t going to buy anything!”

“Exactly”, Sunwo simply said, eating another hand full of choco balls. “Payback for making me listen to you speak so much.”

Changmin rolled his eyes. “Thank you for your kindness, Eric. But I’m fine, I just have to sort out my head.”

“I noticed”, the other said, laughing loudly at his own joke and calling himself a genius. The other two shared a bored glare.

“Is he always like this at school?”, Changmin asked without much interest in getting a reply.

However, he did. “Yeah. At least I can avoid him most of the time, we have different classes.”

“I can never find him”, the other said annoyed and then put on a thoughtful face. “Bomin have been hard to find too, now that I think about it.”

“Are you two in bad terms?”, Changmin found himself asking.

Eric gasped. “You really haven’t been hearing to me! So evil. I miss Haknyeon-hyung, he would listen to me. But you two don’t!”

“Just noticed now?”, the oldest asked with a smirk.

“You literally made me come here against my will, _again_ ”, Sunwoo said before taking another hand of the snack, but stopped it midway to his mouth. “Where is hyung, by the way?”

The youngest shrugged. “Birthday plans, I don’t know the details. Busy with his family to celebrate his coming of age.”

Sunwoo furrowed at that, interested in what he had heard. “Birthday? As in today, March 9th?”

“Yeah, today is Haknyeonie’s birthday”, the cashier said. “He didn’t tell you?”

The other stared at him, simply shaking his head.

The air somehow seemed tense, Changmin couldn’t tell why. But then the mysterious boy put on his expressionless face and silently ate more. He was too afraid to question him.

“Anyway, back to you, Changminie-hyung”, the green haired boy said after a while. “Please trust us too, okay? We’re here to help each other out, right? Be it controlling our gifts, find missing friends or just supporting each other”, he finished, giving him his most sincere smile.

That made the older smile back. “I’ll consider it”, he said honestly. He deep down wanted to trust someone, and someone who was like _him_. Gifted. Who would understand him. And he could consider trusting them. Haknyeon. Eric. Maybe Sunwoo.

And maybe to Juyeon as well. But, well, he didn’t know a thing about him besides his name, so maybe he should be careful with that one. And not throw that contact away too soon. 

“Okay, so! Back to me, now that your attention is working.”

Changmin rolled his eyes. 

* * *

It was dark. He was used with the dark, but this time it was different. It wasn’t dark because he was surrounded with destruction, with death, with despair. He wasn’t even surrounded by anything - everywhere he looked he couldn’t find a thing. And _that_ made Sangyeon shiver in fear.

Where was everyone? Where was  _everything_? It was all so empty. This dream was one of the rare ones that actually felt like a dream.

He started to calm down for a bit, thinking about where he was.

Maybe it was just it. A dream. An _actual_ dream, one that wouldn’t haunt him as soon as he woke up. So, with that in mind, Sangyeon decided to explore. It wouldn’t hurt, right? He kept moving forward, looking to the sides, and nothing seemed to change: it was still pretty dark, pretty empty, and pretty calm. He could live here forever, it seemed worriless, he concluded. It was nice.

He kept walking calmly for what seemed hours - if this wasn’t a dream, of course - until something shine from the corner of his eyes. He turned to look and, indeed, something was shining pretty far from where he was. Would it be worth to go after it?, he thought, just quietly staring at it. Well, it was a dream so it was whatever. But then he noticed the light kept getting closer - or was it brighter? - even if he wasn’t moving. That grabbed his attention, making him move towards it, curiosity consuming him. It was blinding, but at the same time, it wasn’t bright enough to hurt his eyes, the room soon getting filled with its white, and in the middle its source: a disco ball. Sangyeon considered to take it in hands to analyze it, when he noticed it was already spinning by itself, reflecting his own face. Except that the reflection had completely different clothing, and his hair seemed shorter. It also seemed reddish. Was it a vision instead of a reflection? Was it really… himself?

He heard steps behind him, and once he turned the room was once again all dark. There was someone, but he didn’t get to look at their face, their arms suddenly lying around him. Whoever they were, they were sobbing on his shoulder, letting drops and drops of tears fall on his clothing.

“You okay there?”, he found himself asking, but the grip just got stronger. and stronger, and stronger, until Sangyeon couldn’t breathe properly and his arms felt like breaking it _hurt so fucking much_ \--

“Hyung! Hyung, you’re okay?”, he felt a body shake him. He blinked a couple of times, realizing he was asleep a couple moments ago. He slowly rose his head, eyeing Younghoon who had a very worried face. “Hey hyung, are you alright?”

“What happened--”

“You were  _shaking_ ”, he said in a low - there was no need for that, they weren’t in a library - but scared tone. “You seemed to be in pain or something.”

Feeling his throat dry, Sangyeon drank a bit of water before speaking again. “Maybe I was just cold”, he told more to himself than to Younghoon.

The younger took a couple of seconds to reply, obviously not believing on his foolish excuse. “It’s because of your dreams, isn’t it?”, he asked in a monotonous tone before sighing. “Maybe you should see a doctor of some sort. This can’t be healthy.”

“It’s fine, Younghoon-ah. This one wasn’t even like the ones I usually have. It was”, he paused. “Different from the usual.”

The younger stayed a while just looking at the older stare at his hands, not really sure what to say. “Want to talk about it?”

 _Did he?_ It seemed to be so dumb, it didn’t matter, _right_? “Nothing much happened”, he decided to say, not looking at the other. They stayed silent for a few moments, Younghoon respecting the older man’s choice to not tell him. However, something was bugging him about the dream. It was so different, yet much more vivid.

He considered that maybe it wasn’t just a dream, as he guessed before. And that thought was scaring him.

“Actually, there was something weird about it. There was someone crying, and they hugged me. Hugged me so strongly I swear it was actually hurting me. Like, physically.”

He turned to his dongsaeng, expecting him to have a funny face of disbelief on. He was however surprised with a serious expression, the other with full attention to what he was being told. “This is weird.”

“Why so?”

He waited at the biology major licked his lips. “Well, I’m no expert in sleep or dream studies, but I heard it’s common that something happening with your physic body to influence your dream. For example, if your dog bites your hand while you sleep something might happen to your hand in your dream”, he breathed in. “But I never heard of the opposite happening.”

Sangyeon nodded slowly, not really understanding the other’s point but willing to try. “And you’re bringing this up because…?”

He looked concerned before opening up. “Because you were sleeping peacefully and suddenly started trembling and whispering something, I didn’t really catch what”, he let that sink in on the Sangyeon’s mind before finishing. “It’s as if you felt physical pain _because_ you were in pain in the dream.”

Younghoon kept staring seriously at him until he decided to change his attention to his annotations. The conversation died like this, with the older quietly turning to his laptop, his reflection on the dark screen looking back at him, staring tiredly at him as he was left alone with his thoughts. “Could this mean something?”, he found himself wondering and then scoffed. “I’m sounding like Kevin now.”

“Hmm?”

He turned to Younghoon, whose focus was still on his book. “Nevermind. It’s just that Kevin keeps saying that my dreams might mean something, and I’m starting to believe him.”

“Oh” was his reply. Maybe the other wasn’t really listening to him, the oldest thought, but then he spoke again. “What do you think about those dreams, then?”

He took his time to answer. “A metaphor”, he started. A few seconds passed and he considering letting the conversation die again, but then Younghoon was closing his book and looking at his direction. “Some distorted version of the real world, like it was telling me something important, but not directly”, he frowned. “This person, whoever they are, must be important to something. Maybe they have something to do with my other dreams, the one that is full of destruction. Or it’s about something else entirely.”

“A metaphor”, the other echoed. “That’s a good guess.”

“Yeah. But honestly, I have no idea”, he kept looking at the other’s eyes. He wasn’t sure what was going through his mind. Honestly, he never did. Younghoon was mysterious, too secretive and reserved. They were slowly forming a friendship but still, he knew little about him and couldn’t really get him.

However, he could see hints of honesty as well as sadness in his eyes. And maybe that was enough for now for him to trust him. 

* * *

Eric took a look at the boy packing his stuff in his locker and smiled. “Bomin-ah! It’s been a while. You keep disappearing before I can talk to you!”

The slightly younger boy didn’t meet his eyes, quietly listening to the other’s monologue. _Oh, not_ now _, Youngjae-ah_ , it echoed through his head. Huh? Was something the matter? Besides, since when Choi Bomin called him by his Korean name? He has never used it _once_ , and they knew each other for five years.

He cleared his throat. “We sit next to each other at class but you seem to vanish once it ends”, he jokingly pouted. “And you haven’t replied to my messages either. Is everything alright? Or are you working on something and needs to hurry?”

He just shrugged, mind too loud for him to catch any clear sentence. Eric didn’t like where this was going.

“You know… you can tell me everything, yeah? That I will be always here to help you, or hear your worries, right?”

 _That_ made Bomin look up to meet Eric’s eyes, with a sight that seemed… angry. Or better, _betrayed_. Hurt. He scoffed at him before whispering, “I’m not so sure about that though.”

The American boy blinked. “What, why are you--”

“What _was_ that thing with Kim Sunwoo and Na Jaemin?”, he hissed, probably louder than he intended to as he looked to his sides. I hope no one’s hearing, I’d hate to grab more attention to myself. He breathed in, lowering his voice. “Do you want me to forget it or something? Because that’s going to be hard”, he paused again, sighing. “I don’t know what you were talking about but it was terrifying. And the fact that you let that scary dude--”, he shook his head after remembering it, “and for _what_? I don’t even _know_ because you act like nothing happened!”

“Bomin, you wouldn’t get it--”

“Why not? It’s something I can’t understand but Kim Sunwoo, _the_ Kim Sunwoo can? And also Na Jaemin, you know how scared of him I am and he sat beside me!”, he paused to breathe but even if his mouth wasn’t moving he was still speaking. _Am I not your friend? For you to keep something like this from me? For you to befriend them? Do you not trust me?_

“Of c-- of _course_ you are my friend, Bomin, I trust you the most! It’s just”, he stopped talking. What can he say? It’s not like he can reveal things to him without hurting him for real. But he wants to know so bad, it was also hurting him for not knowing it, he could tell from the other’s thoughts. He was literally Bomin’s only friend at school and he felt like he’d been lied to.

It was awful to know one’s thoughts sometimes, Eric realized.

He lowered his shoulders after thinking deeply. “I can’t tell you.”

The younger saw as the boy in front of him bit the insides of his cheek, looking down. “Okay.”

“…Okay?”

 _Of course it isn’t okay_ , he thought, but then bitterly smiled. “Yeah, it’s okay. You must have your reasons to not tell me. I should forget about it. And _you_.”

But a moment ago-- “Bomin-ah, wait a bit--”

“I said it’s okay!”, the boy shouted at the other. “I get it. I wouldn’t want to trust myself as well. I just thought that-- Ugh, whatever.”

“Bomin, _no_ \--”

“Leave me alone, Youngjae-yah.”

He didn’t want to, but the look that the other gave him was so terrifying that he didn’t dare to move, silently staring at Bomin's back who was now getting smaller.

“Maybe it’s better like this”, someone said behind him. Eric, in a very manly way, shouted and turned to see who the owner of the voice was. “He will be safer if he stays away from us.”

“You scared me, Sunwoo-yah! How long have you been there?”

He shrugged. “The whole time.”

The younger pouted and then sighed, turning to look at the direction Bomin had gone to. “Maybe you’re right. But it still doesn’t _feel_ right”, he turned to the other. “He was alone before we befriended, and he’s trustworthy.”

“It might not feel right but it is”, Sunwoo simply said.

“He might know eventually”, Eric blurted out. “He’s smart. He’ll put two and two together and eventually realize about us. I should have told him either way, even if he got too involved it would be better than--”

Sunwoo grabbed his arm, looking straight to his eyes. He was scary when annoyed, the younger noted. “Shut _up_ , you’re gonna grab attention to us, are you stupid?”, he sighed, letting the other go. “What was done is done anyway, so stop crying about it. Don’t worry, even if he finds out he’s still going to be safe.”

Eric wasn’t following it. “How can you be so sure?”

Sunwoo stared at him. “I’m not, actually.”

The youngest groaned. “ _Very_ helpful, Sunwoo. Thanks to you I am _much_ more relieved.”

He rolled his eyes. “If he finds out he will probably still be safe because he is not changed. We might be in trouble though. If he busts us.”

Eric glared at the other. “He wouldn’t. I don’t think he would tell on us about this. Even if he hates me now.”

“Then you got nothing to worry about”, the boy shrugged before he too walked away, going towards his class. The short boy sighed in frustration and decided he too should move his ass to class. It usually went by fast, and he actually enjoyed them sometimes, but this time he could only keep his focus on the boy sitting by his side, doing his absolute best not to look at his direction (he knew, he heard the exact same words leave the slightly older’s mind). He sighed in regret.

He hoped Sunwoo was right. And that Bomin would never try to tell on them. 

* * *

As soon as he opened the door, Juyeon was met with mixed emotions. Firstly, he wanted to be mad and shut the door as Chanhee looked at him with his blank expression (although he _knew_ just how much he didn’t want to be there, he could literally  _feel_ his displeasure radiating). He had too much in his head and the _one_ thing he did not want to deal with was their dumb arguing. But looking at the one behind the younger, at the taller, dark-haired man standing close to the door and looking straight at him, Juyeon wanted to open the door even wider and invite him in. And wrap him in his arms.

Fucking feelings.

“Do you have some time?”, it was the older who broke the silence, smiling sadly at him. He was emitting such calm feelings he couldn't help but relax as well. Juyeon found himself nodding after a few awkward seconds passed and moved away from the door, so the duo could come in.

“I didn’t know you were free to go”, he decided to say. It sounded awkward and he hated himself for that, but it was too late to regrets now.

Jaehyun kept smiling at him, with Chanhee behind him and avoiding looking at anywhere else besides his feet. Come on, it was his own home, he didn't need to feel so distressed, so _unsafe_. Sometimes he hated his gift because there were some things he didn't need to know. He didn't need to know how bad he was making his best friend for life feel.

“I was released recently”, the older spoke, “which is something I would like to discuss with both of you. I learned a couple of things that would probably be helpful for your search, however”, he turned to the youngest in the room and then looked back at Juyeon, “you two have some issues to solve before, if I’m not wrong?”

The empath stared at his best friend again who slowly rose his head, their eyes meeting after so long. It was obvious that their misunderstanding had emotionally affected Chanhee and he couldn't help but to blame himself. They were both broken kids, deep down, having it hard since the very beginning of their lives. But they had each other, _only_ had each other, and that was what always made them keep going. Each other. He had no right to snap the way he did, and to make the younger follow him around without considering his thoughts.

He was a bad friend.

“I'm sorry”, he blurted out in the middle of his thoughts, and was surprised to hear that the other had said the same at the same time. Chanhee blinked at that, clearly just as surprised. “You first”, Juyeon said after a while, with a warm smile hoping to calm him down.

The technopathic took a glare at the oldest in the room - which made Juyeon wonder, since when were they this… close? Not that it was a bad thing, it was just a little unexpected - and breathed in slowly before turning to his best friend again. “I'm sorry for the way I reacted. It's just been really frustrating lately, after meeting Hyunjun and all that happened afterwards, then hyung stopped contacting us. I guess I became a little paranoid after that and that made me stay on edge with you”, he sighed. “I'm also sorry for thinking you kept something from me. I'm sure you haven't. I trust you, Juyeon-ah. Wholeheartedly.”

The two of them kept silent after a while, the older of the two not sure if he should speak already. But Chanhee kept looking at him with expectation, and Jaehyun was now waiting for his turn as well. He found himself tensing up his shoulders before opening his mouth.

“I'm sorry for being so bossy and demanding so much besides not actually letting you voice your thoughts as much as I should. I trust you too, and I do value your opinions, a lot. I've grown a little desperate with all that has been happening”, he licked his lips, “with all the disappearing cases emerging again. I don't want anyone else to be hurt. I worry for us, and for others like us too. And we still have to find the one before they do”, he moved his hand toward his hair, making it messier than it already was. He did stay a few days without properly brushing it. “But that does not justify my actions at all, so I am sorry for being so insufferable recently.”

The duo stared at each other in silence, shyly accepting the apologizes. However, it was not enough for the oldest, who suddenly clapped to get their attention, making them jump on their spots. “Now I think you two should hug”, Jaehyun smiled at his dongsaengs.

“What?”, Juyeon said at the same time that Chanhee said “hell no”. That made the slightly older hurt, but he could feel the shorter had accepted his apology.

“As a sigh of your friendship being restored”, the other just said with a shrug. “Also if you could hug me too. I missed you two and as soon as I come back you two are fighting”, he faked a cry. “It hurts my hyung heart.”

Chanhee made an ugly face but then turned to his best friend, opening his arms. “Friends?”

Juyeon scoffed. “ _Best_ friends, dumbass”, he replied as he wrapped the shorter on his arms.

“Oh fuck I forgot that you're a giant.”

Jaehyun laughed, hugging them too. “You're just very petit, Chanhee-yah.”

He wasn't one of many physical contacts, but he was glad they were hugging. But then he remembered his last events, as well as Jaehyun's, and separated from them. “Now that we're back in talking terms, should we, you know, talk?”

The older smirked at him, still glued to Chanhee. “I'm sure you two will like what I have to tell you.”

The empath smiled too. “Well, then I guess we should sit down because I have also discovered a few things on my own.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [bomin/eric/hyunjun happened again](https://twitter.com/JOO_MONEY_/status/1031461340454342656) and this time [bomin interacted with sunwoo too](https://twitter.com/itsjuyeon/status/1031419362027003904) fucking kill me i'm the happiest father in this fucking site. then i go and write this. i hate myself lmao i might change it in the future because even after rewriting it 17021998 times i still dislike it................... and the timeline is also a bit fucked up. the bomin/eric interaction actually happens after the jaehyun/junew one, but for reasons of letting people die to know more about what they discovered i swapped and only left half of it in this chapter and half will be on the next one. woops?  
>  also, sorry but **bad news for yall! this fic is currently on a hiatus! maybe semi but i dont wanna give you hope so i will say full time hiatus!** actually have ~lowkey~ been since last chapter, but i didnt really say it here,,,,. life is being tough and i cant stop getting sick, also my creativity is running Super low and i'm barely writing anything. i will most likely post other fics, either tbz or other fandom, before the next chapter. i feel like maybe if i give this some time and let my brain work on something else it'll slowly make the gears for this fic function again so i can return with better chapters than the ones i would write if i forcef myself to write in a moment like this. i've thought about discontinuing this entirely but i really, really, _really_ like this story, and also i promised too many times that i'd avoid doing it to actually do it, so there is that! i wont. but yeah... i will pause this. sorry! dont worry, i will return to it soon, i hope, with the comeback near and then hoping i'll survive the next uni semester so i can write more. yeah,,,,,,, this is kind of a messy notice but yeah i guess the point was made so i'll leave it like it. see ya!  
>  by the way, kevin told yall to #streamrighthere ([see, i dont lie](https://twitter.com/WE_THE_BOYZ/status/1037348309315117057)) so it's exactly what you gonna do after reading this. [stream the shit outta right here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSEQiv5Z7p4). thank you.


	10. Chapter 9: Planning, both ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unless you’re careful, that is. Unless they were careful. Then maybe, just maybe, things would end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, unexpected update! actually not really, and i want to explain it for all of you, no need to read it, but i feel like i have the obligation to. anyway, i do know that in here ao3 i had said this fic would be under a hiatus, but in fact, it worked more like a way for me to write more without pressure, and i've often talked about this on twitter, i even [posted a screenshot with the name of the ongoing chapters](https://twitter.com/heecheondo/status/1046558833022300160), with a typo because what is english lol. well, back to the explaining, what happened was not what i had planned: this hiatus _was_ supposed to be a break for me, but it backfired and it worked as a sparkle of creativity, and not only i started writing this chapter and finished it over a month ago, i had by then the next one done as well as most of the outlines for the next one (which is actually two considering i decided to split it). because of that i had done a self schedule for me and this fic for the rest of the year, where starting on november eight i would post this and each fortnight i'd post the next, making the third update be on the boyz's first anniversary (which is _also_ the first anniversary of this fic) and making the fourth update the last one of the year. it would be perfectly posted and i hoped that with this you would all enjoy this kind of finale of the year? for reasons that are spoilers haha. but i've been really down and i don't think i can fulfil this for reasons that i havent finished them all, and i _cant_ finish them all, not like this at least, and i'm also kind of dying to post this, so i dont see any reasons to hold it back anymore. have it now.  
>  the next chapter (that has also been complete for a while now) will be either posted in a few hours or somewhere within this week. i hope you will enjoy reading these two new updates, and i also hope that you won't hate the fact that this fic will go back into its hiatus after this double update. but, considering i've made you all wait before, although i didn't call it a hiatus, you will understand and not hate it. hopefully my will to write will return to me soon, because the story is reaching an interesting point i am thrilled to write, and also thrilled to see your reactions after reading. but until then, this is all.  
> this and the next chapter has been betaed already, so do not worry about rereading them.

Hyunjun wasn’t really sure what had happened. His head hurt and everything felt fuzzy.

The place he was in felt familiar despite, giving it a better look, it wasn’t somewhere he had ever been in before. Big bed. Empty room. White walls. A single light source, coming from a lamp beside his head.

It felt like home, for some reason he was not so sure why. But it also felt really unsafe. He couldn’t help but be on edge, but to keep his guard on.

As if he had predicted it, the door was knocked on. He suddenly felt anxious and decided to just close his eyes, pretending he hadn’t woke up. Maybe whoever was at the door would just give up and leave. It was what he hoped at least, but he was proven wrong as he heard steps - more than one, which meant he had more than just one visitor - enter the room. “So he’s still sleeping”, a husky, deep voice said before sighing. “He sure did a fuss we would have rather avoid. We will have to get a backup plan soon.”

Someone else - someone whose voice he knew - cleared his throat before speaking, certainly too nervous to do so. Maybe the other was someone scary, or someone somewhere higher in power, Hyunjun guessed. He couldn’t recognize the first voice but it was what it seemed to be the case. “Can’t we let it slide, sir? Maybe try to gain his trust and collaborate with us by--”

“ _No_. We waited a whole decade for him to be ready for this, and he isn’t even ready”, he groaned. “You failed me Hyuksoo. You had _one_ job.”

“I’m sorry”, Hyuksoo was quick to apologize. “I was certain it had worked. I told you, countless times, how everything seemed to be according to what we had expected. He had shown every sign of progress. _I thought we were progressing._ ”

“But we weren’t. We weren’t”, the first one responded in a low tone.

“Hyuksoo-nim’s new idea is not that bad actually”, a third voice suddenly spoke. Hyunjun could tell the owner right away, it was the lady who had walked him to Mr Park’s office. Jieun. “We won’t be able to erase his memory completely or change it this time, we don’t have the time for second tries. Besides, it was already proven to not be effective for too long”, she stopped speaking for a while. “Maybe our plan was bound to fail anyway. Looking back now, the idea trying to control someone like him seems foolish. Now that we've seen how much of a failure that plan was.”

The first voice hummed. “So you expect us to trust him, and let him side with us on his own? Even though he had reacted so negatively over our plan?”

“Not entirely. We could still have him as a pawn, we’d just need to be careful with it. Not reveal everything, lie here and there.”

The room was filled with silence for a while. “Well, he will most likely spend more time in our buildings and his appointments with mister Lee ended, so we can keep our full attention on him. He has a lot to learn, so we should show him how things will be from now on as soon as we can.”

“Hyunjun-goon still has one appointment, actually”, Hyuksoo suddenly spoke again, carefully.

The first voice didn’t sound pleased. “Does he, now? What for, if he finished his training?”

The other was hesitant to say. “Well, I decided that it would be a great idea to see how he’s been improving, sir. I had talked about it before, don’t you remember? I told you to save the day so you could see what he was capable of?”

“Oh, that’s true. I had forgotten about it”, they said. “That _was_ actually a good idea, something rare coming from you. I could also keep an eye in this mister Lee. He used to be friends with the traitor, didn’t he?”

“Yes”, Jieun was the one who replied. “He also used to be close to those two kids who kept glued to each other.”

“Juyeon and Chanhee? _Really_?”, the other had said with a tone Hyunjun did not like. “And he was trusted to train Hyunjun, after all of that?”

Hyuksoo cleared his throat again. “He might have bad relationships but he is someone reliable and serious. Besides, he has never shown signs of sympathizing with his past partners.”

None of the other voices replied to him and that made the kid worry. “Well then, let’s talk more about this kid after I see what he’s capable of.”

Hyunjun really wanted to open his eyes and look at his visitors, but he forced himself to stay with his eyes shut until he heard the door close and the steps faded completely. He turned to look quietly, hoping to not grab attention to himself, but gladly, he was alone.

Alone, but terrified. He didn’t know what to do, was he going to be forced to use his curse on someone? His sessions with Jaehyun were mostly meditation, using his imagination to stimulate his abilities as he read his brain’s reactions. It had been harmless. But considering what he had heard before passing out, and what he had heard now… it was worrisome. He didn’t know what to expect.

He had to run away. He didn’t know how, but maybe he’d find out eventually. Maybe he could beg Jaehyun, or force him to help him if needed. He was a little bit desperate, in all honesty, although he hates the idea of doing it. There could be heavy consequences. But he would like to think he won’t need to. Jaehyun seemed reliable.

And considering he has a history of befriending people who _they_ considered _bad_ … it could be a _good_ sign for _him_.

Juyeon and Chanhee. _Chanhee_. It was him again.

Hyunjun sighed. He was going to get the hell out of this place. And then he will make Jaehyun cooperate, and tell him who the _fuck_ is this Chanhee dude. 

* * *

 _Hyunjun_. Chanhee couldn’t stop thinking about the kid.

They only met once and it wasn’t exactly a good first meeting. They didn’t even interact face to face, it was through a camera, and it had been too fast. But even so, the young boy had shown what he was capable of and that was something Chanhee couldn’t forget so easily. The kid _did_ manage to enter his mind without big efforts _and_  while standing miles away. It was kind of scary. Sure, it was something that barely lasted, yet the feeling of having someone inside your head, someone who could easily mess with it and delete or alter all his memories if he wanted to…

But Hur Hyunjun was still a kid. Someone who seemed lost and, for that, easily manipulated, and Chanhee couldn’t stop thinking about him, thinking of helping him open his eyes to the situation he was in and escape. He wished the younger had gotten the chance to be a normal kid, something he himself didn’t know. He couldn’t help but wish no one else would ever be in his place, in the place he also was in once. He knew damn well how it was to be too blind to the surroundings, becoming alienated. He was once like this, and Juyeon and Jaehyun too.

Even Younghoon was like them too, before he did what he did.

They were all once puppets of something too big for them to see. But now that they distanced themselves they could see it _so_ well, with all of its defects and ugliness, that they had sworn to stop it. There might be only the three of them, but they would manage to. They had no other choice.

They had to find the one soon, before _they_ managed to. That was vital to stop their evil plans. And they  _had_ to help Hyunjun too, eventually.

“So, do you want to tell us first, hyung?”, Juyeon suddenly asked, bringing the younger back to the real world. “What you discovered while working with Hyunjun.”

Chanhee turned his attention to the oldest, intensely interested to what he had to say.

The oldest sighed. “Well, to start with, he was two abilities. Mind controlling as his primary and mind manipulation as the secondary. They tried to conceal the first one so the second would emerge faster and, although it didn’t really work it also… did. In parts.”

“That explains why they want to use him”, the other reasoned as he nodded, trying to understand it. “Which part of that worked?”

“The emerging part. His manipulation ability is fully awakened now, but so is the controlling. He still can’t fully master it yet but that’s what they wanted, so there’s that.”

Chanhee frowned. “That’s bad.”

The oldest found himself nodding. “ _Really_ bad. He could break one’s mind, literally, if he doesn’t use it properly. But I have a guess that this might be exactly what they would rather.”

“ _Fuck_. They’ve gotten a lot worse than when we left”, Juyeon said out loud. Chanhee found himself nodding at it.

“Yeah. But Hyunjun is fully conscious of this, and he seems to be a good kid. He was horrified when he talked about it being a possibility with his abilities. He has a good sense of responsibility.”

That made the youngest remember a doubt he had. “You mentioned something about him not really siding with the organization, didn’t you?”

Jaehyun blinked. “I’m surprised you remember this. You were sleeping.”

“I was on the phone”, _literally_ , he wanted to add.

He received a frown as his response. “I will never get how you can do that. But yeah, you’re right. He doesn’t side with them, he’s been forced to at a young age. Not sure about the details, but he had been manipulated to believe in this fake family and ideology, but he is too smart and pretended to side with them while he practised his gift and kept his memories intact on his own.”

“Woah”, Chanhee couldn’t help but say. “He’s a smart kid. I already like him.”

Juyeon frowned. “They tried to manipulate someone whose curse it to manipulate people? That is stupid.”

“It actually made sense, considering they’ve been doing it slowly and for long years. But I do understand why it would certainly not work considering it is Hyunjun they tried to brainwash”, Jaehyun nodded with a smile that resembled of a proud father’s. Chanhee found it adorable. “I still have one last appointment with him by the way. It’s in a couple of days.”

“You do? But you were dispatched.”

“Yeah, I didn’t get that either. But apparently the big boss will come to see how his abilities work with his own eyes. Whatever that means.”

The empath crossed his arms. “Well, that means you’re going to meet the big boss too. That means something.”

The youngest could only frown. “This is getting way too dangerous. I mean, it’s good if they’re trusting you so much since we can get more information, but it’s not safe for you to do this bridge, hyung.”

Jaehyun bit his lip. “I still have to. You two can’t go back, they distrust you.”

“But we left on good terms. We aren’t like Younghoon-hyung who has--”

He shook his head. “ _Trust me_ , Juyeon-ah. They see you two as much as traitors just like they do to Younghoon.”

The look in the older’s eyes was dark and it made Chanhee shiver. And he could tell that those words were enough to make Juyeon tense up as well.

He cleared his throat. “Do you know why?”, he asked slowly.

The older shook his head. “No, but people have been asking me if I still stay in touch with you in a distrustful tone, you know. I think since people are becoming so radical within the group they decided to see you two as traitors. Which means you should be careful.”

“We _are_ careful”, the oldest of the two said a little too fast. The youngest scoffed at that.

“I know we barely made up but I have to disagree on that”, he said. “We have _never_ been careful ever since we started our hunt, we should start being more cautious. We can’t rush things, and it will be better if we don’t go out as much as we usually do.”

It was Juyeon’s turn to frown. “But I need to search up a place.”

Jaehyun rose a brow in interest. “Is this about what you discovered?”

His response was a grin. “I found the place where we first met Hyunjun. It’s a fancy hotel, but one of the top floors have been booked for over a decade now. I’m assuming it’s where he lives.”

“How do you know that?”, Chanhee asked. “That it’s been booked for this long?”

He looked at his best friend with a proud smile. “Well, I went there, to get information by myself. And I guess I was a bit lucky that the security guard wasn’t _exactly_ straight so I got into his pants--”

“ _Ew_ , Juyeon-ah--”

“--to get his keys to the records room! What were you thinking, hyung?!”

He coughed in embarrassment, ignoring his two dongsaengs’ glare. “Nothing. Proceed, please.”

The younger boy rolled his eyes. “ _Anyway_ , the one who booked the floor is someone by the name of Park Jinyoung. I’m not exactly sure about this man yet, but he is _loaded_. Like, he is super rich and has a bunch of companies and partnerships for them. I considering on not focusing you much about him until I realized that”, he paused to sigh, “all his business partners were openly pro changed folks. This man could be a lead.”

“It could be _more_ than just a coincidence”, the youngest concludes, seeming to be following his line of thought.

Jaehyun was still trying to get it. “So you want to find more about this dude?”

Juyeon slowly nodded. “I think he has some kind of relation between the company, you know. The one you still work for. Since they’re working underground I couldn’t find anything that linked the two of them, but I doubt it would be much of a hard thing to do. We just need to be in the right place and dig deep.”

“Like somewhere that could be used as an information centre”, Chanhee butted in, “maybe like his main office. Somewhere I could get into.”

Jaehyun furrowed his brows. “But he has multiple companies, doesn’t he? How could you know where to go?”

“It doesn’t need to be his company”, Juyeon shrugged. “I mean, if he really is connected to our beloved past company…”

Chanhee looked at him in disbelief. “You want us to _go back_?!”

The other carefully nodded again. “It might be our best choice.”

“No”, the oldest replied determinedly. “Did you not hear that you are now seen as traitors to them? And you want to go _in_ there, when _I_ could do it? You are _not_ going in there.”

“Hyung, you have done more than enough while we were safely _going in circles_! All we did was find nothing, fight over that and not doing anything useful when we could have despite being separated!”, Juyeon spoke up, voice suddenly louder than his usual.

“Is it not better if only one of us is at risk? We’re in three, not three hundred. I will go alone.”

“You’re not going to risk yourself any more than what you’ve had already, hyung, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let something happen to you.”

“I don’t mind getting in danger if it means helping my dongsaengs reach their goals.”

“Oh, how kind of you, hyung. Let’s die on behalf of my younger friends! How cute.”

“ _Guys_ ,” Chanhee suddenly said. “Let’s focus a little more in here, we don’t need more fighting, not _now_ at least. Hyung, I agree with Juyeon this time, despite hating how suicidal his plan sounds. Not only it will be faster if I’m the one accessing their data but we need someone to have their trust. If you break it, it will be much harder for us to progress, and it’s not like they’re going to trust me or Juyeon ever again. I think it’s something we will have to do. Us _both_.”

Jaehyun sighed in defeat. “Fine. I had other plans on mind but _fine_. How do you two plan on doing this then?”

“Well”, the older of the duo started, “that I haven’t really thought of. I was waiting for you to return to talk it out.”

He scoffed. “Great. I also have no goddamn idea how to put you two inside their building _and_ leaving harmlessly.”

Chanhee put some thought into it. “Maybe”, he started after a while, “we can use Hyunjun’s appointment as a distraction.”

“You two must have lost your minds”, the oldest blurted out in annoyance, a frown on his face. “Not only you want to risk yourselves but _you plan on doing it on the worst day possible_?!”

“Hyung, hear me out”, he said. “They will probably focus a lot on Hyunjun and his improvement which will let their guards down elsewhere. And if what you are saying is true and he does not side with them, you can ask for his help to keep them busy. We could take advantage of this and try to get into their system and find information about this Park Jinyoung. We could even get information about who we are supposed to find if we get the time to, considering we have left their side before ever deciding to find the one. Besides,” he paused to glare at the older more intensely, “if we happen to be found out you will have an alibi and will be less suspected. It could not work, but there is a chance we will do all of this and you remain with their trust.”

“I haven’t thought that far”, Juyeon admitted, “but now that you said it like that I can’t think of a better plan.”

The duo looked at their hyung, waiting for his response. Chanhee was not the empath one, but he didn't need to be as he saw the way Jaehyun couldn't meet their eyes, body stiff and clearly overthinking. He was processing what he had heard, and he was _worried_ about them. Certainly he was trying to think of something, anything wrong on their plain to turn them down and try to find another one.

But he couldn’t, the youngest noticed, as he left a very long sigh, frowning even more. “If I knew you two would plan something of the sorts I would have never dragged Chanhee’s ass in here.”

He found himself smiling. “So you will help us, right? With this plan?”

Jaehyun nodded reluctantly. “When haven’t I helped you two?”

Juyeon smirked at them. “It's settled then.”

Chanhee nodded. It was.

He felt like this could take them somewhere, _finally_. Even if it wasn't exactly related to finding their important person, it was related to Hyunjun and he wanted to help the kid.

Their target would have to wait, for just a little longer. 

* * *

Kevin couldn’t wait anymore. It’s been a while since Jejudotangerine’s last message and he couldn’t help but feel anxious. He really wanted to hear more of what the other had to tell him.

He had never expected to befriend someone on the internet, and over something like a hateful person’s blog. But here was he, befriending this anonymous person who went by Jejudotangerine while remaining anonymous as well. Someone he met by agreeing to disagree that changed people were threats and should be taken care of.

He didn’t know much about this person though, but he felt like they had been friends for life during their conversations. They stuck into chatting in private messages instead of commenting on the blog’s posts (which was for the best, considering they were the odd ones who didn’t align with the writer’s opinions) yet they decided to not reveal much about one another. Jejudotangerine admitted not wanting to trust someone unknown with too private information and Kevin agreed. The boy - _that_ he told him, that he was a boy - said he was terrified of this whole disappearing thing, and considering that The Truth Reporter always seemed to know things he would rather play safe. He was smart.

(Kevin was dumb enough to start the conversation introducing himself, but he was a _little_ clever considering he did so by using his Korean name instead. It felt weird using Hyungseo after so long, but it did the trick.)

Not only he was smart, but he knew a lot too. He let slip that he had been interested in looking in deep about the whole disappearing people thing, although he didn’t tell Kevin his reasons behind it, yet it did not matter since only that had already got his attention. Because he, too, was interested in discovering what the fuck was happening.

They could help each other because two heads were always better than one. That was what he had suggested to the other.

But he hasn’t replied to him yet. And that made him quite anxious.

“How’s your project going?”, he heard a voice from behind. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, and god _damn_ it, couldn’t this sunbae get off his butt?

Kevin turned off the screen of his phone to look at the older. “Hello to you too, Younghoon-hyungnim. It’s going great, thank you for asking!”, he replied sarcastically.

“No need to be so rude, I was just wondering”, the other said as he sat down beside him. “I’m not the biggest artist but I thought I could help you finish it. You’ve been unavailable for weeks. Sangyeon-hyung misses you, and Jacob said he did too.”

The younger wanted to reply with him in a petty way, considering that not only they had completely different majors he did not want the older’s help, but that last part got his attention. “Jacob-hyung missed me?”

He received a nod before his answer. “Yeah. He mentioned it when we were talking about how our exams season. He felt sorry that he couldn’t go to the band meetings, and when I mentioned you weren’t going too he said that.”

Kevin could feel his cheeks warm up and he prayed that his companion would have missed that. “I see…”

The older kept going. “You two seems good friends. He is really fond of you.”

“Really? We have been friends for less than a year though”, he found himself admitting it out loud.

“It doesn't seem like it. It's almost as if you two knew each other for life.”

He scoffed. “That's Sangyeon-hyung.”

“I know that. I just feel something different when it's about you two, not quite sure yet. It's almost as if you're two sides of the same coin.”

Whatever the older was talking about, it seemed too weird for him to follow. However, for some reason, he found himself interested in it. “Yeah? How so?”

He looked at Younghoon as he stared at the sky licking his lips before moving them again. “You two seem to complement each other somehow? You are different but not entirely. Alike, but unique. For example, you have similar likes, like listening to music and producing them, but you also diverge in other points, like your favourite music style. He’s quieter and goes with the flow, while you seem to be the type of person speak your mind and strongly stand up for what you believe”, he looked at him with curiosity shining on his eyes. “Am I right?”

Kevin's head automatically nodded, but truthfully he did so for not knowing how to respond.

The other stopped looking at him to stare at the sky. “That’s what I mean.”

The minutes after his senior's words were filled with silence but they were really far from being comfortable. He felt like Younghoon was either over-analyzing his thoughts, reluctant to say something, or with his heads up on the clouds. Whichever the answer was, the biology major was _still_ sitting beside him when he could have been talking to someone else, someone who would actually enjoy his companion. Like Sangyeon.

Sangyeon. Oh yeah, he was friends with him now. Right? It seemed like it, considering that the oldest wouldn't ask someone he didn't really like to feature in a song he had written, even if it was just its demo.

His mouth started moving before he could actually think about it. “How did you get so close to hyung? Sangyeon-hyung, I mean.”

His voice wasn't exactly the loudest, but Younghoon was close enough to hear every syllable clearly. “Sangyeon-hyung?”, he shrugged after receiving a nod. “By talking, I guess. And also spending some time together? We did have coffee together once or twice.”

The art major tilted his head and hummed. He didn't really know why he had asked it because, sure, he did want to know. But also he did not want to interact with the older. He should have just asked Sangyeon instead.

“He's still having his nightmares by the way”, he suddenly said in a low tone, staring straight into Kevin’s eyes. “And by the way he talked about it I think it's something to worry.”

He gulped. “Why, did something happen?”

He hated that the older was nodding. “But I believe it's something you should ask him.”

As much as he didn't like to say it out loud, Younghoon had a point. It was better to inquire the oldest instead, considering it was his issue.

“Hey, before I get going”, the older suddenly said again. Kevin eyed the older, pouting in confusion. “The reason I came here to talk you about your project was actually because I’d like to hang out with you, to get to know you better. If it wouldn’t be too much of a displeasure for you?”

He blinked. “Well. I still have to finish it, but it’s pretty close to ending if I’m being honest”, he analyzed the other’s expressions. He seemed to be honest yet something felt strange. He couldn’t help but suspect. “Why the sudden invite though?”

The older shrugged. “I wanted to get to know you more. I have been hanging out with Sangyeon-hyung quite a lot these days and he always talks about you and, well. I’d like to be your friend as well.”

“Only the two of us?”

“That'd be ideal, yeah.”

He frowned. “I think I’ll pass then, thank you.”

Kevin looked at the biology major as he dropped his shoulders, feeling disappointed by his response. Honestly, it made him feel like a bad person. “Have I--”, he started but trailed off with a sigh. “Nevermind. I got the memo. I hope you finish your project soon so your band can practice again.”

He silently observed as he saw the older get up and leave. Gosh, he was a douche, and for no reason. Well, okay, he felt like the older was not to be trusted and because of that he _had_ been wary around him. But that is not a valid excuse, and Younghoon was clueless about his reasoning. He _really_ was a douche.

Deciding to not think too much about how much of a horrible human being he was, Kevin turned on his phone again to check his most recent messages. Jejudotangerine still hadn’t replied to him, and so, he sighed in frustration. He hoped the kid was just busy with in real life issues and not, who knows, in actual danger.

* * *

“I heard it was your birthday recently”, was the first thing that Haknyeon heard when he arrived at their little hideout. It wasn’t anything cool or out of ordinary, it was just a parking lot. It wasn’t abandoned or anything like that, but it was in a quiet district and was mostly empty, especially at night. They had thought it was quiet enough for them to do whatever they wanted safely. _Probably_. It was most likely risky in a way, but still safer than the other options they had.

The blond boy looked at the owner of the question - Sunwoo. They haven’t really been in touch recently, considering that the older barely went to these meetings Eric demanded him to come and they hadn’t exchanged any other form of contact. Haknyeon couldn’t help but feel guilty.

He knew he had promised the boy to help him with his quest, and also help him being happy in general. Yet he didn’t do anything about it, keeping up with his self-discoveries and not sharing it to anyone, not even to the younger, who would really mean it, considering they were on the same boat. And he had been in it _way_ longer than Haknyeon did. He had promised Sunwoo that he wouldn’t be alone anymore yet he had failed him, avoiding the one thing he shouldn’t. His friends, his _changed_ friends, who were like him, who had told him many times to trust them, and who could actually help not only Hyunjun, but Euiwoong too. He had failed all of them, and for what? For postponing his goal?

Haknyeon had failed all of them, including himself, including _Euiwoong_. This was why he decided to stop avoiding them and do what he had to, before it was too late for him to finally move.

Trying to block his negative thoughts, he nodded at the boy who was still waiting for a response. “Yeah, it was. My birthday.”

The older looked as the boy in front of him quietly nodded with an expression he could not read. “It was Hyunjun’s birthday too. On March 9th”, Sunwoo admitted in a very low voice, probably not wanting the other two to hear.

He didn’t know what he had done to earn his trust, but it felt like the other had decided to trust him with this piece of information. Nor how to respond to him. Maybe the younger wouldn’t like it, but Haknyeon really felt like hugging him and assuring him they’d find him.

But in the end he didn’t have the time to act.

“Hyung!”, he heard the youngest in their crew shout, getting the duo’s attention. “I didn’t think you would come today.”

He sighed, moving towards where the other was but not before nodding at Sunwoo to do the same. “Honestly, me neither, Eric. But there was something bothering me so I decided I should.”

Changmin, who was next to the youngest, looked up at that, face worried. “Did something happen to you?”

“No, don’t worry hyung”, he replied, ignoring the way the shortest man glared at their oldest. He had probably overheard something but for the sake of no arguing, he decided to ignore it before Changmin noticed that their maknae had read his mind uninvited _again_. “I just realized it has been a while since I last decided to practice my ability.”

That got the other two’s attention, Eric visibly enthusiastic to hear it. “You’re finally joining us again? Officially?”

“I never really left”, Haknyeon pointed out, “but yeah. I still can’t control it as much as I think I should, so.”

Although the one who had told both Changmin and Eric - who decided to include Sunwoo - that they should train their own abilities for their own safety had been himself, he had stopped practising his curse pretty much after his best friend’s disappearance. Not only he kept focusing on finding any kinds of clue to help get Euiwoong back, but it was distracting everytime he remembered it was also _him_ who first suggested him to try to fully control it in the first place, when he was a simple high school senior who had just discovered having a special ability and the younger was his freshman. And safe, by his side.

It kind of hurt remembering that, how besides everything Euiwoong not only accepted him for being changed but also wanted to help him fully know himself.

And he had a very valid point. Knowing your limits, knowing how to not accidentally use the curse and grab attention to yourself, that was important considering what had been happening around the city. It was for their surviving, and despite him being super young Euiwoong had always been mature and caring. He knew damn well what Haknyeon would have to deal with, as someone with a curse.

The boy decided to stop daydreaming about his lost best friend and eyed his companions as Changmin nodded at him. “Well, we should get going on with it then. I’m tired of listening to Eric ramble about his day.”

The short boy frowned at their oldest hyung but decided not to refute him.

Sunwoo cleared his throat. “So, how will it be?”

Haknyeon turned to him, putting some thought into it. “It would be good for me to start small. It’s been so long since I last used it I’m not sure if I remember how to use it.”

He had an idea already, but before he could share it their youngest hummed in agreement. “Throwing something at you sounds like a good idea”, he said casually. That made the other smile at him, as the other two just silently glared at him. “What, did I--”

“Yeah, but it’s fine Eric-ah”, he simply said. “I’m ready, by the way. Hit me.”

Haknyeon looked at the three of them as they quietly looked at each other, silently trying to get into an agreement. Sunwoo, however, wasn’t having any of it and grabbed the nearest bag to threw at him.

He acted purely by impulse, thinking about not wanting to be hit by a high school bag (that could have been deadly!) and so the bag kept standing a few centimetres from his face. But it didn’t take him long to realize he hadn’t frozen _only_ the bag, considering that both Changmin and Eric had stopped in the middle of their motions, the oldest showing a surprised expression while the youngest seemingly was about to shout.

He could hear Sunwoo sigh. “You failed.”

“Don’t say it like that”, the older said with a frown, returning time from running, but not before stepping aside to avoid being hit by the bag. It hit the floor instead, and Eric ran towards it, complaining that his phone could have broken in the process. Sunwoo didn’t give him any reaction.

“You gotta focus, hyung. Freeze only the bag.”

“You didn’t give me any warning.”

“But you said we could hit you”, he shrugged.

He sighed in frustration. “A warning would still be great, you know.”

“In the world that we live in there are no warnings, hyung”, he deadpanned in all honesty. Haknyeon found himself frowning at his words, he hated that the younger had a point.

“Whatever. Do it again.”

“But not with my bag”, their maknae shouted with a pout as he put his bag on the floor, far from his fellow high schooler.

Changmin stood up at that, warming up his legs. “Freeze me instead.”

“What…?”

The oldest just quietly smirked at him before disappearing. Well, not really. He had just moved pretty far from the other three. “ _Catch me if you can_.”

The university student didn’t like the idea. “How can I freeze you if I can barely see you, hyung?”

“That’s part of the fun!”, he heard the other say. He groaned out loud.

“Focus, hyung”, Haknyeon heard the mysterious boy repeat. Fine, focus. He could do it, right? It was easy. Just close your eyes, think of Changmin-hyung. Try to hear his steps, try to predict where he will be. And try to stop him.

It would be easy, right? He had done something similar before. Sure it’s been a while, and it was with a subway instead of a human being, but he had confidence that at least this time it would work.

He opened his eyes. Eric was staring intensely at him, with Sunwoo tapping on his feet by his side. He thought that maybe it had worked this time, considering that the youngest was still moving, but giving a glare around he noticed Changmin was still not visible.

“Did he hide?”, he found himself asking out loud. He didn’t need to wait much for his answer though because soon there was an arm resting on his shoulder.

“I did _not_ ”, his hyung said with a tired face. “I didn’t stop once.”

Hearing that made Haknyeon frown in disappointment. He had never thought that a couple of months would be enough to make him lose the little control over his changed ability he had gained. That he had started a nearly a year ago, excluding the little time he stopped. That he started because of his best friend, with him by his side, as supportive as he could. 

He felt like he had failed Euiwoong.

Sunwoo left a loud scoff, grabbing his attention. He for some reason looked annoyed, as he stared intensely at Haknyeon. “You aren’t focusing enough.”

The older spent a few seconds just staring at the other in disbelief. “What do you mean? I’m trying really hard.”

“I believe you. But you’re still not focusing enough.”

“Sunwoo-yah--”

He gave Eric none of his attention, still looking at the older. “You’re overthinking. Worrying about things they aren’t important right now, not here at least. Remember the subway? What were you thinking when you froze it?”

Haknyeon felt his throat dry suddenly. “I just thought of stopping it. Kept thinking on itself.”

Sunwoo nodded. “And were you thinking about something that was worrying you? Your friends? Family?”

He looked away. “I don’t… think so.”

That seemed to be what the other wanted to hear. “Then do it again. Focus on here _only_. If you want to improve your control over your ability then you will have to block everything else for a while, no matter how important they are. Right now, what matters is this. You can deal with that later. You _have_ to.”

He blinked at it. It felt weird having him of all people talk about controlling his ability when Sunwoo didn’t even know what his own curse was. But he also has his worries, some of them that were similar to his, or maybe even worse. Many, many times worse. And maybe this was why he didn’t dare to refute him. Because he had lived in fear of going out of control pretty much since he discovered himself as a changed person, and from what he had told him that happened a long time ago. He might be younger but, in this matter, he was _way_ wiser and more experienced.

So Haknyeon just gulped and nodded at the younger. “Let’s try again then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was thinking of leaving this chapter's end notes empty, until i remember that in this chapter i dropped a lot of hints here and there, so i wanted to point it out in hopes that you will try to catch them! (and write a comment about it, i'm honestly dying to know your thoughts and also dying to share them.... but dont worry i'll hold my tongue for now!) this is all haha. sorry for being a mess, and thank you for bearing for me for this long!


	11. Chapter 10: Breathe, count to twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> However, go against fate wasn’t something easy to do. Its paths were like a maze, easy to get lost on. Just being careful won’t be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second chapter that has been ready for some time now. god, i really like this but also it annoys me how we're still in march in this story. this is definitely the longest month of march in the history of writing. the first scene in here is a couple of hours after the last one on the previous chapter while the rest happens between march 10~15. either way, after one or two chapters time will be more, idk, functional/logical and march will finally end! sdjhskfjskfjsd  
> btw, there is a lot of dialogue written in italics in this chapter, and for different reasons. it's not the first time either of the scenarios had happened before, but to avoid confusion, **the first scene has italics for thoughts** (did i just spoil whose first pov it is? sorry) **and the second for english** (and lowkey another spoiler? it's nothing big but skfdjhksfksdjhfs sorry again)  
>   
> might have typoes here and there but it was overall betaed, so enjoy this without the worries of rereading, again!

If you asked Eric if he liked being changed, he would most likely tell you that yes, he did. He didn’t even need to think twice. But he would also tell you he hates his ability.

It was cool to be different, but he was most definitely on the cursed side rather than gifted. Sure, it worked as a survival advantage, considering that he’d know if someone had ill motives before they even introduced themselves to him. He still hated the fact that he could hear those voices, and many times he couldn’t block them. He was still too weak to do so all the time, even if he had improved in that matter. Either way, it would be much better if he had another gift, or if he had nothing at all. What could he do to help with mind reading, anyway? It was such a pointless curse, all he got from having it was unnecessary headaches when there were too many thoughts at once, or complicated situations where he replied to someone who hadn’t opened their mouth.

Besides, he had promised to be by his older friends’ side, yet all he could do was get in their mind and hear their problems, even if they’d rather Eric to not know, which in his eyes is not an advantage at all. What kind of _gift_ was that? He invaded people’s privacy and sometimes couldn’t even help himself but do it, for not being able to control it well. His ability was definitely a burden. A real curse.

“You're quieter than usual”, he heard a voice say by his side. _Huh_ , it was Changmin. The older boy rarely initiated any conversation with him, and they were usually either a monologue by Eric or the two of them jokingly teasing each other. But there was him, attention on himself and wondering if there was something bothering him.

He nodded. “Yeah, it's just… teenage stuff, I guess. School, exams, getting friends, losing friends. Plus this whole special ability thing.”

Changmin nodded in silence, trying to understand. “Wanna talk about it?”

Did he? Not really. Maybe he should though. But he also didn’t feel like opening up right now.

_We’re here to help each other, aren’t we?_

Eric blinked at the thought he overheard and turned at the oldest again. He was smiling warmly at him, waiting, but also _understanding_. He could hear him, telling him that it was okay if he didn’t want to talk about it. But that he would still be there, to hear him, if he did want to trust him.

“No need to worry about me, hyung. My worries are nothing comparing to them”, he finally said as he eyed Haknyeon and Sunwoo, who were still practising the older’s abilities.

“Bullshit, Sohn Youngjae”, the older said with a slight annoyance in his voice, startling his dongsaeng. “This isn’t a competition. We’re a group of friends, aren’t we? Who support each other no matter what it is, no matter how simple or horrible it is. If you don’t feel like telling me then fine, but don’t dare act like it’s nothing when it isn’t.”

The kid found himself staring astonished at Changmin, taken aback by his words. He never called any of them his friends, saved maybe for Haknyeon on special moments, and that really made him happy to hear, even if it came in the form of a scold. Eric sighed, trying to hide his smirk. “It’s nothing big, really, just a bunch of small worries. Exam session is ending. It’s my senior year. Bomin hates me. My curse is a burden.”

“Wait. What was that middle one?”

“It’s my senior year?”

“No, that’s whatever”, he quickly said but then paused. “I mean, it isn’t whatever, senior year is important and all, but the thing about Bomin?”

“ _Ah_ ”, he simply said, shoulders stiffing. “It’s a long story. You wouldn’t like to hear it.”

“I don’t mind.” Changmin shrugged. “I’m not doing anything right now anyway. And my mind is not all over the place this time, although you probably noticed that already.”

He eyed the older who was patiently waiting for his response with a small smile on. Eventually, the younger decided to spill. “There’s this one dude who bullies Bomin?”, he said, omitting the fact that the older was not his only victim. Changmin didn’t need to know. “His name is Jaemin. Sunwoo wanted to question him because he is friends with two kids who have vanished and he considered there might be something up with him, but that ended up being a dead-end. Anyway, Bomin saw us and freaked out. I don’t blame him, his best friend _and_ his bully talking must be an awful scene to see”, he sighed. “He questioned me why I was talking to him in the first place but since I couldn’t give him any explanations he now distrusts me and want nothing to do with me.”

The older frowned. “Why couldn’t you tell him?”

“Because I didn’t want to involve him in this mess we’re in”, he admitted, lowering his voice. “What if he’s the next Euiwoong? I wouldn’t forgive myself to hurt him. But I did anyway.”

Changmin looked at him apologetically, yet understanding his point. “I don’t know what to say to you, sorry.”

“It’s okay hyung”, he smiled bitterly. “Sunwoo said it was for the best. I’m not entirely sure about it though.”

He received a nod as a response. “It’s okay to worry about these things, it shows that you care. But it’s past now. Besides, it’s no use to put too much thought into it, if it’s for the best or not. We never know what’s right”, he said it out loud, but for some reason, it felt like that wasn’t only for himself. That he wasn’t only trying to cheer Eric up, but reminding himself that he couldn’t know what was the right thing. That made the younger wonder.

He was about to question him yet Changmin was faster than he did, sighing.

“You know”, the older started but then stopped speaking. _I feel like I should be truthful and open up as well. I have a thing bothering me too_.

He blinked in confusion as he heard the older perfectly, yet his mouth remained shut. “Why are you--”

 _I don't want those two to know, not yet at least. They have too much on their plate already_ , the oldest smiled sadly at him, quickly eyeing the other two before turning to the American boy again. “And by the way, you could practice your curse as well. You know, that theory of yours.”

Oh. That seemed interesting. “You want me to do it now? I’m not even sure how it works. Nor if it _will_ , nor if it is _safe_.”

“Yeah. It’s okay, that’s why we’re here for, right? To test our capacities and gain self-control. And I trust you. It can’t be harmful anyway, it’s just mind reading.”

Even if he got a point, Eric still felt itchy about it. However, he found himself nodding.

He knew he could read a person’s thoughts, but it made the youngest wonder about how far he could go. He could tell what someone was thinking of, and he was learning how to block them. But how deep could he go with the whole reading thing? If he could even call it _reading_ at this point. He never really read someone’s mind, in fact. It was more about listening to sentences. It didn’t mean that an individual could only think fully constructed sentences. They could think of an object and visibly see it. They could think of a song and make it play inside their head. They could remind of a day that has long passed. Those were _still thoughts_ , and he had the ability to ‘read’ them. So, in theory, he could read much more than just a few sentences here and there.

And that simple thought slowly grew on him and it became something that kept bugging him at the back of his head. Not that he had actually tried to make it work, but he had vented about it to his fellow cursed friends, and now there was Changmin suggesting him to test it out.

It’d be a lie if he said he didn’t worry about what could happen, but still, he was a curious cat and he decided, after thinking a _lot_ , that it was worth the shot.

Eric closed his eyes as he heard his hyung’s thoughts. _So, what am I thinking of?_

He had no efforts into discovering that. “The convenience shop.”

_Right. But do you see it?_

“No. Should I?”

He heard the other sigh beside him. _I hoped so. I’m trying to show you something that happened to me, something weird._

“The thing that’s making you worry?”

 _...Yeah_ , he reluctantly agreed.

Eric put some thought into it. “Think of it really vividly, hyung. As if it had happened a couple of hours ago. Think of every detail of it. I’ll try to follow you.”

_Okay. Well, it was overall a normal day, with no one but me. I was bored-- oh, I was playing on the phone! Wasn’t I?_

He still had his eyes closed, but slowly he saw a light coming into vision. Not that he could tell what it was, but it was still something. Eric kept staring at it as it got clearer and clearer--

_No wait, I wasn’t! I stopped after I had used all my lives._

The American kid found himself nodding, staring at the failed level screen that welcomed him. “I can see it. You were playing candy crush? It’s 2018, hyung.”

Changmin gasped beside him. “Did it work?”

“Yeah, in a way. It’s still a bit blurry…? But I am starting to see.”

He couldn’t see him but he knew the older was smiling. _Let’s continue then. So, I was bored waiting for my shift to end--_

The place Eric found himself in - or, well, where Changmin was - started to be clearer. He could recognize now the place, the convenience shop he often went to before dragging the older out, except that this time he was behind the counter. Not that Eric could really see it, as his surroundings were still quite a blur, hard to see the actual shape of things. It was very quiet, but it was understandable considering that the shop was empty save for the cashier. Until, that is, he heard the automatic doors opening, signalling that someone had entered.

 _He is Juyeon_ , Changmin told him. _Not that I knew him right away, but yeah. That’s his name._

Without realizing, the American nodded. He kept looking at the fuzzy shape of the stranger as his best friend described how he felt, how he was hit with an odd feeling that he couldn’t quite name.

“It was pulling you?”, he asked afterwards. “Like a magnet? Just like when… we met?”

The older’s mind suddenly went blank. Eric opened his eyes, seeing the shock on his face. “ _You’re right_ ”, he said in a whisper. “I haven’t thought of it. That could be a hint.”

“Hint of what?”

He kept looking at his hyung as he bit the inside of his cheeks. “I haven’t shown you the real thing yet. The part that’s really bothering me.”

He swallowed. “Do you want to continue…?”

Changmin nodded and, without second thoughts, Eric closed his eyes again.

_Okay, so, Juyeon. He didn’t do anything worth worrying, but he still grabbed my attention somehow. I couldn’t stop staring._

Until his attention was broken, the youngest noticed as he heard the door move again, another figure coming close to him.

 _‘Have you seen any of these people around this area?’_ , a voice he didn’t recognize echoed on the cashier’s mind, thus echoing on his as well. He looked down, noticing that the stranger was showing him a picture. Panic rose onto him as he looked at it, fully detailed. Everywhere he looked was blurred, too hard for Eric to describe, but _this picture_ was nearly perfect, probably close to the real thing that the older had seen.

It must have really marked Changmin-hyung, he reasoned. Considering he can remember so many details of it.

 _Are you seeing it?_ , the older asked him. _It’s Juyeon and someone I don’t recognize. He’s looking for them and was asking for my help to find them._

“Holy shit, hyung”, he said.

“ _This_ is what is worrying me”, he said out loud. “I don’t know what that means, who this Juyeon is or who this other man is. And the reason who he’s looking for them.”

“ _Holy shit_ ”, Eric found himself saying again. “This is bad.”

“ _I know_ ”, the older panicked. “It made me overthink so much, you have no idea. I even fucked up my dance rehearsal. I feel so lost”, he moved both his hands over his head. “What do I believe in?”

Without knowing what to say, the American wrapped an arm around the older.

Changmin sighed. “But there is this feeling. This _pulling_ , now that you mentioned it, it’s the same I felt with you. Maybe the pulling thing is a hint. It’s telling me I should trust Juyeon.”

“Woah, hyung, calm down. Let us not jump into conclusions.”

“If I don’t try to believe in something I won’t have  _anything_ to believe in”, he said frustratedly. “The other dude was frightening. Like he was working underground or something. It made me think of those people disappearing. Maybe he wants to end Juyeon.”

“Or maybe this Juyeon is the one working underground or something.”

“I think that’s unlikely if he’s like you, and Haknyeon, and Sunwoo too. With our curses.”

“But how can you know he is on our side?”, he said but then regretted it right away. He could tell that Changmin wanted to scream. _I can’t! I don’t know!!_ Eric breathed in and out. “Just-- Be careful”, he decided to say.

The older one looked at him. “I will. If things get worse I’ll tell you _every_ detail of it.”

“Will you?”, he asked, a brow up.

“Yeah, and those two too”, he said nodding in their direction. “Just not now.”

He nodded, smiling at him. “Always remember that we’re here.”

“I won’t forget”, he smirked. “Well, we’ve been here for too long and I’m in a mood for burgers.”

Eric smiled wide at that. “Oh _yes_! Any time is the mood for burgers. Sunwoo! Haknyeon-hyung! We’re going to get burgers and it’s on Changmin-hyung!”

“What? You pay for yourselves--”

“Sweet! Thanks, hyung!”, Haknyeon shouted from afar.

The oldest eyed the maknae. “I hate you.”

“Of course you do”, he sarcastically said, going next to the other two. He could hear how much Changmin, well, _hated_ him.

(He didn’t, at all.) 

* * *

Jacob had honestly really missed their band practices.

Okay, he hadn’t been with Sangyeon and Kevin’s music duo-now-a-trio for _that_ long: it had barely been four months, one of them where they had barely even _seen_ each other, at least on his end, considering that he studies on another university while Kevin and Sangyeon probably met each other around campus. However, their meetings were something he enjoyed to do that he found himself missing once he couldn’t go. Thankfully, with his exam session finally over, and the other two saying that they were managing to finish their own, the three of them had finally met again.

(Not that he had  _actually_ believed on them: the oldest was too focused on composing to think about university while his fellow Canadian friend seemed to lack focus, mind wandering around. But he didn’t know if they were friends enough for him to scold them for neglecting their academic life, so he opted to silently nod.)

“So there’s this song I recently wrote”, Sangyeon spoke up, “we could start by recording it?”

Kevin nodded. Jacob tilted his head. “The one you called me about?”

“Yeah. It sounds a bit different from what you have heard though, I gave the instrumental a few touches as you suggested.”

He found himself smiling. “Glad to be of help. Can I hear it, then?”

The oldest didn’t reply to him but instead did as told, a few clicks into his computer and the song echoed on the room. It really was different, but at the same time, he could recognize that it was the same he had heard before. Once the first verse came in, though, he was hit with another sound he had heard before. “Younghoonie?”

He eyed as Sangyeon nodded by his side, proud smile on his lips. “Yeah, I asked him to help me with this demo since you two were busy. I didn’t know how pretty his voice was.”

Jacob agreed, nodding too. Kevin, however, had scoffed somewhere in the room, and it was then when he noticed that the youngest was not paying attention to the song, instead, he was in front of the battery, phone in hands. The older of the Canadian duo wondered if he was waiting for something specific, but decided to let it be.

“The lyrics are so sad”, he found himself saying out loud. “I was surprised when I first heard the demo but I’m much more surprised with the lyrics added. It's different from what you usually write too, isn't it?”

Sangyeon laughed in embarrassment. “I guess I wanted to write something different.”

He hummed in understanding. “What gave you the idea?”

The other choked on air. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you decide to try something different? You never tried to do something too out of your comfort zone, right? Not that I know of, at least”, he questioned with curiosity.

Jacob kept observing the older man as he regained his posture, his previous jitter slowly fading. He didn’t know why he’d be nervous to start with, but he decided to let it be. “It was just something that crossed my mind suddenly. Like a sudden sparkle?”

“I see”, he said quietly with his sweet voice. “Well, we could separate the parts and record it right away, right, Kevin?”

The younger suddenly looked up at the duo. “Wha-- ah, you want to record it now?”

“Is this not why we decided to have this meeting?”, the older said. “Unless any of you have made something and want to show it to the team?”

“I was too busy to do anything”, Jacob said with a pout.

Kevin nodded as he kept his face expressionless. “Me too. _Super_ busy. No new songs. Or ideas.”

Sangyeon frowned at the way he spoke and then sighed. “Then, let’s get going?”

They stayed the next few hours focusing on the song, discussing their parts, then recording and rerecording once they found some points that should be touched, be it a different tone or a change in the lyrics or instrumental. Time flew and it felt like it had been just a few minutes, but once they were finally done with only the final touches left, Jacob noticed they’ve been working for nearly five hours.

Their youngest got up a while after, stretching himself before turning to the other two. “Hyung, you mind if I make us something to eat while you work on it?”

Sangyeon blinked at their youngest. “That was sudden.”

“Sorry that I’m hungry”, he said with a fake-offended face, but it suddenly turned into one of worry. “You tend to skip meals when you’re busy too, so it’s a way to assure you won’t this time.”

Jacob turned at the older too. “He’s got a point.”

Before he had his mouth, Sangyeon was ready to refute Kevin. However, after those simple words, he noticed that their oldest member was at lost of words. He turned to the two Canadians, silently taking in their worries. He then sighed, looking down. “Will you ever stop worrying about your old hyung?”

“ _Nope_ ”, Kevin replied in English as he smiled at the other. “You have something in mind that you want to eat?”

“Not really. You?”, he said turning to Jacob.

He blinked a few times, feeling a little weird after the room’s attention was tossed at him. “Neither.”

The youngest nodded at that. “Then it’s up to me. _Noice_. Well, you two stay up here and I’ll make us something really yummy”, he said awkwardly while winking and showing them two finger guns. Jacob found it adorable.

“He’s two years old I swear to God”, Sangyeon hissed under his breath. “Is it really safe to keep him near the oven with no adult supervision?”

“Adult supervision?”, the foreign man looked at him. “Like me? I'm an adult”, he smiled at him. He noticed his hyung’s face going red, and he kept blinking nervously. It made him wonder what he had done to get such a reaction.

“Y- yeah, like you.”

“Won’t you mind it though?”, he said, tilting his head and smirking at Sangyeon. “Won’t you miss me?”

The older choked on air again. “ _What_.”

He laughed. “You’re fun to tease, hyung. But really, won’t you need any help?”

Sangyeon cleared his throat. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing I can’t do on my own. Make sure that the kid won’t poison us, or blow the house.”

Jacob politely nodded at the older, moving towards the other’s kitchen. Kevin had the fridge open, with his head inside. “ _Hey Kev, need some help?_ ”

The younger turned to his direction and smiled wide, showing nearly all his teeth. “ _Maybe. Why are you down here and not with Sangyeon, by the way?_ ”

“ _Do you not like my presence?_ ”, he asked, frowning a brow as he smirked.

“ _That’s_ not _it_ ”, the younger pouted, “ _quite the opposite. I just thought you’d help him with encoding and all of that._ ”

Jacob nodded in understatement. “ _Well, he was the one who told me to come here and assure you won’t murder us, so I guess he’s fine._ ”

“ _He said what!_ ”, he faked an offended face. “ _Says the dude who can barely cook._ ”

He found himself grinning at that. “ _So, what’s going to be today, Ke Chef?_ ”

“ _Ke Chef? I like the sound of that_ ”, the younger smiled proudly. He took some ingredients from the fridge and closed it. “ _I think I’m gonna make us some simple-to-bake pancakes. I’m not in a fancy mood today._ ”

The older simply hummed at the sound of it, listening to whatever order the younger gave him and doing exactly as he was told. He wasn’t a bad cooker, he could do plenty of things in fact. Jacob would never die out of starvation. But still, he was left amazed at how his fellow Canadian was skilled at the kitchen, going around the place, picking ingredients and sorting them into sweet pancakes.

Like, seriously, what couldn’t he do? Singing, check. Write music, check. Art? Check! He was left astonished with the realization that Kevin Moon was too good to be real. Like, how could he be so talented?

However, the talented chef was quite clumsy.

“ _Oh fuck_ ”, Kevin exclaimed, waving his right hand.

“ _What is it?_ ”

“ _The pan’s hot_ ”, he said with a hurt face. “ _I burned my hand. Shit, it hurts._ ”

The older felt like rolling his eyes. Of course the pan is hot. “ _Let me see it_ ”, he said, taking Kevin’s hand to give it a better look. “ _This is going to be itchy for a few days. Damn Kevin, why didn’t you use a glove or something before touching it?_ ”

“ _I was in a hurry”_ , he pouted.

“ _Safety always comes first. Gosh, imagine if you were on your own_ ”, he quietly said as he sighed. Instinctively, he covered the younger’s hand on his, looking around the place. “ _Do you know where Sangyeon keeps his first aid kit?_ ”

“ _It should be on that shelf_ ”, he answered as he pointed with his chin towards the specific shelf. Without any other word, Jacob went towards the kit and grabbed some bandages and medicine.

“ _Give me your hand again, I’ll patch you up._ ”

The younger did as told, opening his injured hand towards him, but there was nothing else in it. His hand was not injured anymore. “ _What the--_ ”, he started but never finished. Instead, he retreated his hand and took another glare at it. It was in front of his face but he couldn’t believe it.

Kevin looked at Jacob, trying to understand what had just happened, and the older felt like running away. When did he…? He hadn’t even _thought_ about using his ability, so how did it happen? And when? Was it when he was looking for the kit, that he accidentally used it? But he has a good sense of control, _so why now_?

“ _Jacob, was this you?_ ”, the younger finally said after a while. “ _Are you…_ ”

What was he supposed to do? He could only fall into despair, overthink about what would be of him now. It was not safe for him to people to know about his abilities. He had been warned way before people like him were discovered, and now that it was public knowledge he knew why. The world was not an accepting place. He was in danger simply for existing, and no matter how nice someone was to their friends, family, or even strangers across the street, their true colours were well hidden.

You should not trust anyone, his grandpa had told him. You should not trust anyone.

You should not trust anyone.

People are evil. _You should not trust anyone._

“ _I don’t know what you’re talking about_ ”, he said after a while, voice weak. He knew it was something futile, and he knew the younger would not believe him. But he still lied.

Kevin kept looking at him, the shock on his face now completely faded, and Jacob now had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. It only made him more anxious. “ _You are changed._ ”

“ _No, I’m_ not _, Kevin Moon. Let it slide._ ”

He wasn’t having any of it. “ _You healed my hand just now._ ”

“ _You’re imagining it!_ ”, he shouted nervously.

The other was taken aback at the sudden shout, but he looked too determined to back off. “ _It’s okay, Jacob. I won’t hate you for this, you can stop denying now._ ”

The older stared at him and he wanted so much to be mad at him, to keep screaming at him and to push him. But _he couldn’t_ and instead he sighed in defeat, not eyeing his friend. “ _Fine. You’re right. I didn’t mean to do it though, I didn’t control it properly._ ”

“ _Really? I didn’t know. But it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt anymore so it’s a win for me_ ”, Kevin smirked at him. “ _And now I can go back to the pancakes as if nothing happened!_ ”

Jacob blinked in confusion. Why was he so chill? Why was he ignoring what had just happened after practically ripping the explanation from him? He had _no_ reasons to want to know it so much, if it was no big deal for him. Except…

“ _Wait! Don’t you dare tell anyone, otherwise--_ ”, he breathed in, “ _I’ll have to hurt you!_ ”

The other looked blankly at the older and then scoffed. “ _Jacob. You just_ cured _my wound. You don’t expect me to believe you’ll hurt me for being changed, do you?_ ”

He gulped, he had a point but still, he could blow his cover. “ _But I’m serious--_ ”

“ _Don’t worry, I won’t tell, not even to Sangyeon if that’s what you’d rather_ ”, Kevin told him with a small yet comforting smile. “ _Your secret is safe with me. Besides, it’s not like I think that people with abilities are some kind of monster or anything._ ”

“ _Oh_ ”, the older cleverly replied. “ _I was_ not _expecting such reaction_.”

“ _You were waiting for me to call you names?_ ”, he asked with a brow up.

Jacob put some thought into it. “ _Honestly I was just waiting for you to shut me down somehow. Maybe be grossed out._ ”

The other pouted, again pretending to be offended, and he couldn’t help but find it adorable. “ _That’s the type of person you think I am? Wow,_ hyung.”

He looked down. He didn’t think Kevin was like that, but really, what was he supposed to think? There aren’t many people who approve people like him, and if there are, they aren’t as vocal about their opinions. Plus, considering he was told to remain hidden since his abilities first emerged, it was obvious hed grow to fear everyone. That included Kevin, no matter how nice he seemed to. Everyone could turn to be cruel if they knew. So it was the best to trust no one, as he was told.

“ _Hey_ ”, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “ _You can trust me, okay?_ ”

The older kept looking at him. The words from his childhood were still bothering him, but he decided to not at Kevin. He would trust him, for now at least. 

“ _Why did you want to know so bad if I cured you or not?_ ”, he asked, brow up.

Kevin gave him a soft smile. “ _Just curious. I like getting answers to my questions. But let’s leave it behind, we still haven’t finished these pancakes and they are supposed to be easy to bake, so either we’re talking too much or we suck, and my ego wants to believe it’s not the latter_.”

* * *

Younghoon had forgotten about his previous lifestyle nearly entirely. It’s been a good while since he had left - or, well, forced to leave - the company he used to work with and, for the safety of those he loved, he had to shut them down. Of course he couldn’t forget it completely though, he did spend a good time in it, met people he cherished, and also after all that had happened in it, before he turned his back, it was impossible to forget _all_ of it. Even with his studies and new friendships it was still something that he kept on the back of his mind, all his memories, as well as the few documentation he managed to steal, and all that had been happening to find the one, how he was in danger that could bring them all into a bad life-threatening danger. It was _killing_ him and he wished he could go against it, but he couldn’t. He’s done things he regretted, but he hoped that it would be for the best. That those he cared for so much would get the hint and stay as far as they could from him.

But Jaehyun didn’t get the hint. He was stubborn and he was also extremely loyal. He couldn’t turn his back at him, couldn't hate him, and Younghoon wanted to hate him instead. He kept coming back and, with him, all the bad memories from back then came back too.

Him. It _had_ to be him. The same Lee Jaehyun who had told him to drop his doubts when he noticed they were working for the wrong people. The same Lee Jaehyun who told him to stop doubting too much and to simply follow orders.

The same Lee Jaehyun he had trusted. The same Lee Jaehyun he had loved. And the same Lee Jaehyun he had learned to stop loving.

The older had hoped that his old partner had finally understood the reasons behind his cold façade by now, considering he hadn’t been bothering him for a couple of months. Yet, there was him, standing a few metres away from his university’s front gate, looking in his direction,  _waiting_. 

Waiting for him.

“I thought I was clear that I don’t have any interest about joining your hunt team and helping with whatever stupid thing you plan on doing”, he told the younger before he could open his mouth. “Can you _please_ leave me alone for good?”

“Younghoon-ah”, he started, voice weak. It was late and the streets were calm, so he could still hear the whisper. “I’m not here to ask you to join us again. I get it, _okay_ , you don’t want to and I won’t force you. I still need to talk to you though. We left too many open wounds, I think.”

He sighed annoyed. Jaehyun didn't need to add that ‘I think’ when they _both_ knew damn well about it. Yes, they did leave many open wounds, and for too long.

Younghoon had his reasons, but no matter how much he wanted to he couldn't tell the other. Those wounds would be open forever, never healing, and it was most likely his entire fault, yet he liked it better than wounding the one staring at him with such vulnerability in his eyes. He would rather keep his façade if it meant that Jaehyun wouldn’t get any more hurt than he already was.

“I don’t wanna talk”, he said and it _hurt_ saying that because it was not the truth at all. But he had said it and as much as he regretted it he couldn’t take it back now, nor he could apologize. So instead he did what he always did: turn his back and walk away.

This time, however, the younger didn’t simply stare at him speechless. He grabbed Younghoon by his wrist, not letting him go. “ _Then listen_ ”, he said, voice suddenly stronger than before and it made the older froze on his spot. “I will never bother you again if you let me speak. I have a lot to talk about and I _need_ to let it out. I _need_ to tell you.”

He eyed the other with an unamused expression. He hated how much of a sensitive person he was, and he hated how much he knew this too. “ _Fine_. But not in here.”

Jaehyun blinked, probably not expecting a positive response. “Okay. Is a convenience store fine for you?”

“No”, he frowned. Did he want someone to hear them or something? “Follow me. I know a place.”

He tried not to think much about how the younger’s face lit up at that. He just turned and walked towards the nearest subway station. “Are you taking me to your home?”

“I’d never”, he said, stopping in front of a photo booth. “I mean in here.”

“You want… to talk _there_. But not in a convenience store.”

“Yeah. It’s quite private in here”, he replied with a shrug. Younghoon could _feel_ Jaehyun’s judging eyes on his back as he entered the booth, sitting down and waiting for the other to enter. As soon as he sat down and closed the door, the air felt awkward. Well, at least on his end, he wasn't sure about the one beside him. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

He watched as Jaehyun slowly breathed in and out, calming himself down before opening up. “I want to apologize for not believing you when I should have. For picking their side when you told me not to, when you gave me _all_ the reasons not to. I was blind, and I believed that was the right thing to do. I believed what they told me to, so when you told me it was all a lie I didn’t even try to search for my own answers, to discover why you were affirming it. Even though you mean-- _meant_ so much to me they were my everything. But that doesn’t justify, so I’m here to apologize.”

The younger turned to him, probably to read his expressions, but he couldn’t look at him for too long without turning away because it _hurt_. It hurt seeing him so vulnerable, despite him breaking his trust. He couldn’t hate Jaehyun because he understood him. He had his reasons, as he said it himself, he was blind.

But still. They weren’t just partners, just friends. They were much more than that, and the feeling of betrayal had been too deep.

“ _I’m sorry_ , Kim Younghoon. You might not forgive me, and you might hate me forever, but I understand if you do. I’ve been an awful friend, partner, lover, and I can’t do anything to redeem it. Still, I regret it deeply, and you should know that.”

He nodded, trying not to show any reaction, staring at his feet. “Is that all?”, he said trying to keep his voice calm.

Closing his eyes for a bit, Jaehyun breathed in before continuing. “Not really. You… know how Juyeon and Chanhee dragged me into their thing”, he said slowly, probably expecting a negative reaction from Younghoon for mentioning it again. But he didn’t, patiently waiting for what he wanted to go with it. “Anyway, I’m not going to invite you again. I just wanted to say that we’re going to go in there in a few days, us three. To get some extra information, since we’re kind of lost right now.”

He didn’t really like where this was going. “Isn’t it too risky?”

“It is”, Jaehyun admitted quickly. “But it’s not like this entire hunt isn’t. We need to find _him_ before they do and we’re quite in a hurry, and they are probably way ahead of us. Borrowing what they know just for a bit could give us a light. No, it _has_ to.”

Younghoon looked at the determination on the younger’s eyes and had to fight the urge to smile. He knew about their search. He knew about it more than he wished he did, not only because the younger had tried to drag him back into their quartet but because he’s done his own research about it. Juyeon and Chanhee suddenly backing off their positions at the place they all used to work in had ignited a strange curiosity into him, and it led him to where he was now. Hiding, trying to live as if he knew nothing, for everyone else’s safety.

He didn’t know much, but he did know _something_ and he could help. God, he wanted to. But he _couldn’t_ because that would endanger them. Endanger him, who was now looking at him with a fire on his eyes he hadn’t seen in… probably years. Him, who would probably endanger himself for this hunt, for this person he didn’t even know. For someone he had only heard from the younger duo, someone who was the key to something else none of them knew yet.

This was a whole goddamn mess, one that he had hoped to be out of. But he couldn’t cut all of the wires and, him liking it or not, he was in the middle of that. Involved, even if indirectly.

He kept looking him in the eyes. “Why are you telling me this, Jaehyun-ah?”

The younger blinked a few times. Younghoon hadn’t called him by his name for some good time now, it probably felt off to hear it after so long. Still, he kept staring back at him, smiling weirdly. “I just felt like you should know.”

That rubbed into him. Here was him, telling to Jaehyun constantly that he wanted _nothing_ to do with him, to pretend they were strangers and the time Younghoon spent with the company the other worked for never existed, even if it was only partly true. The other didn’t know that though. Yet he still was fucking faithful, annoyingly loyal, hoping for him to grab onto this past they had together, even if for this short moment they had. And he hated it, because _it was working_.

Jaehyun broke the eye contact they were having, relaxing his body for a bit. “Okay, I guess that’s all. I don't think we will ever see each other again, but I’m glad I can move on without the burden of fucking up and not making up for it”, he smiled sadly at himself. “You might not care about them anymore, or about what will happen with this dude we’re looking for, but you used to. The one I loved cared about the good in the world, so I’m going to fight for it. I’m going to do something good for once, even if it costs my life, so I can make the one I adored so much proud. I wanna make _you_ proud even if you don’t think like that anymore.”

Younghoon bit his cheeks as he saw the other tear up. There was something stopping him from talking, from moving, from _breathing_ , and he could only watch. It was toxic and he wanted to run away, take it as a conclusive cue and leave all he’s been ignoring _for good_. But he also wanted to comfort him at the same time, tell him he was already making him proud, telling him he was happy he was doing what is good, that him being so emerged on this hunting thing was something great.  

But he couldn’t.

Jaehyun cleaned his own tears, trying to smile, but it looked as forced as it should and his eyes were still full of new drops. “Thank you for listening. I needed this so I could finally move on”, he then turned to the slightly older man, giving him a last smile before getting up and leaving.

Younghoon felt relieved and awful at the same time. Relieved because he had finally understood that he should stay far from him, that he was finally moving on and that he was doing the good.

But he felt awful because he had hurt him _for so long_ , because he wanted to tell him it would be okay and protect him, but he should stay away from him _because_ he wanted to help him and be _there_ for him, for them, the four of them and whoever the one was.

Without realizing, he himself broke down. He decided to hide in the booth for a while before going back to his new life. Without Jaehyun, without changed folks, without mysteries. A normal life, one he should cherish instead of hating. So they all could live peacefully.

(But he couldn’t help but think he was doing everything wrong, and that peace would never come, for _any_ of them.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it might have seemed like it so, for clarification, eric does NOT have more than one gift, and it is NOT related to hyunjun's. we dont only think in sentences, we also think about things, think on memories, think of sounds too, and i see no reason why eric wouldnt be able to "read" those thoughts as well, considering he is a mind reader. he just needs to improve his capacity? expand horizons uwu. also, when "reading" a person's memory, eric sees it as if their pov is actually his, as if was happening to him, since he's seeing it through their eyes. he also depends on what they remember since, well, he's reading what they are remembering/thinking of, it first must come to their minds so he can read it. it's different of hyunjun's mind/memory manipulation, since he gets IN a person's mind directly. he doesnt only see their pov too, he's pretty free to "walk" through the memory, his only limitation is that he can only travel through what they have seen (although it includes things they dont remember because they might have forgotten but _they still have seen it_ , it's somewhere inside their heads, despite not remembering). he also can change the memory, wipe it completely or create new ones. he doesnt depend on anything besides his target's mind since he acts independent of their own will, but eric is a viewer of their minds so he does rely on their thought/memory to see it as well.  
> hope that made sense.  
> anyway, i'm really happy with this chapter, for real. i honesly got moved by writing it. but dont worry, there are more emotions coming through, and you will understand why the flashback chapter didn't have jaehyun and younghoon _at all._  
>  see you whenever my depression allows me to write! and if i dont post by then, happy 1st aniversary for both the boyz and this story! and happy xmass and new year, if i happen to be unfit to write the next chapters until then! yes i'm over a month early. better than being late!!!! hehe
> 
> also, thanks for 1,5k hits!!!!!! holy shit it was like 1,2 before the previous chapter this makes me feel Validated!!!!!!!  
> ps. i dont wanna beg for comments anymore because i said i shouldnt............... but............... thoughts? anyone wanna share them? i'd love it!! but dont feel obligated !!!!!


	12. Chapter 11: Ready, set, go I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna fool fate, you will need determination. You will need focus. You will need to have a strong mind. Can _you_ do it, boy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a bad bitch you can't kill me. therefore, i'm back.  
> honestly writing this was Hard......... sure i had done the planning of these two parts months ago but i was blocked so hard........... i actually took a fat hiatus from since the last chapter was posted, and decided to write side things to make my sparkle come back, and it took me LONG to get it back. i posted a BUNCH of stories (like seven???? and one has over 20k????) until i finally was back in shape for this........... but better late than never, right? so i wont apologize!!!! i had a good reason to not write, that being not wanting to write poorly. so yeah!!!!!!! UWU  
>  ~~(btw not to self promo but doing Just That please read my[disgrace au if you stan ateez and/or like my writing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17218097)??????? please. ok self promo over) ~~  
>  also, i now have [a ko-fi account](https://ko-fi.com/heecheondo), where you can support me!!! no need to do it, but if you can/want to support your local trans artist/writer, i'd really appreciate it. i also added the link on my end notes besides my sns!  
> also ALSO, i totally recommend you to check out onf's latest release, [we must love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukZ0cnIeMXQ), not just because i stan them/like their music but also because it helped me to finish this faster. don't know how to explan, but its aesthetic/concept made my inspiration sparkle so much i wrote like 4k on its release day alone.  
> also ALSO A L S O, this chapter............. is a part one of two JHSFJHDFJSHFDJDF AND!!!! important: there are flashbacks in both parts (more on the next one i think) so there is also that!!! keep in mind!!!! yas. btw **this is not super proofread, although i did do it. besides, the next chapter is not done yet and i might need to touch this part one depending of how things goes on part two, but as always, i'll warn if reread is needed.** either way, this is too long, pls enjoy uwu.

“This is your stop”, Jaehyun told them as he stopped his vehicle, still far from their destination, but Juyeon knew that it was the closest he could take them without risking his cover. The older turned to stare at the two sitting on the back. “You know what you’re going to do, right?”

“Yup. We will try not to die”, he told him a little too serious. It was a bit scary, but his hyung knew it was just like how he was. He was too seriously most of the time, even when he didn’t mean it, which was probably the case. Still, considering the possibility of them _not_ managing to succeed this suicidal mission, he in seconds felt that it only made Jaehyun’s worry grow, despite trying not to show it. But, considering his gift, that was impossible.

“Don’t say shit like that”, Chanhee said, a bit moodier than usual, as he slapped his best friend’s shoulder. “We are _not_ going to die. We will succeed. We have to.”

“That’s the spirit”, the driver told him with a smile. “Well, off, you two. You know I can’t go in with you two in my car.”

Juyeon nodded and quickly flew away from his vehicle, not turning back. Chanhee, however, looked at his hyung one last turn, biting his cheek. “Be safe you too. You’re not allowed to die either”, he said in a quiet tone as he moved from the car, walking beside the other, watching Jaehyun drive away.

He sighed, following the younger’s eyes. “Hyung will be fine, won’t he?”

“Of course”, he assured the older without second thoughts. “He will. He _must_ be, he’s so cautious and a perfectionist. We don’t have to worry much about him.”

He nodded for a while until he left a laugh. “Do you trust him now?”

Chanhee stared at him with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”

“You seem to be less stiff around him these days. I’m not complaining by the way”, he replied, “I just got caught off guard. So, do you?”

The younger spent a while before answering the younger, voice weak, as if he was unsure of his own words. “I guess I do. You were right, he’s done a lot and risked a lot for me to still think he’s not siding with us”, he sighed. “I’d be lying if I said I blindly trust him, but I do trust him to some extent.”

Juyeon smiled at that, feeling his honesty. “That’s enough.”

The shorter one nodded at that, walking beside the other until they arrived at a bus stop - one they used to take so many times, so long ago - and sat down, waiting. The older could feel his discomfort, probably being washed with a big wave of memories. It had been quite a while since the day they first did this track, going to meet what would later become their biggest enemy that back then they thought to be their number one hope.

He couldn’t read minds but that wasn’t needed. He knew what was going through Chanhee’s mind because he knew him that well, because he could feel his emotions, but also, he was reminded of the same. He was reminded of the feelings so opposite to his current ones. Curiosity, a faint of hope, and just a little bit of worry.

But now that they knew them well, and that they were going back, they could only feel anguish, a bit of despair blooming, and _a lot_ of worries.

 

“This is it?”, Juyeon had said to his best friend who was still quietly staring at the building. It felt itchy. Chanhee _hated_ it, this feeling of something being off. It was small yet it was enough for him to just wish to turn away and run. But he decided to go, because Juyeon fancied their ideas and thought that it wouldn’t hurt to give them a try and him, as a good friend he was, would follow him to hell and back.

Sure Chanhee wanted to give it a try too, deep down. They both had promised to help people like him, if they could. A help that they both never got the chance to grab, that he wished they had when they were younger, and a help he would gladly give to others. But still, this whole thing stunk _so damn bad_ in a way he didn’t even comprehend that it made him rather stay miles away instead.

Yet, this _could_ be a chance to finally do some good. And so he ignored his gut.

The older looked at him who had yet to reply. He put an arm around him, trying to comfort the shorter with something besides words. There was no need for more words, they had talked it out and got into an agreement. They’d check up the place, as Juyeon desired, and if it still felt untrustworthy they would get turn their backs forever, as Chanhee wished. That was it.

“Let’s get going”, Juyeon spoke again, voice as soft as before, comforting the other who just nodded as a reply and walked a step behind him, eyes wandering around the walls. It was very white, very clean, very blinding, yet very artificial as well, considering the lack of windows. It hurt his eyes to stare for too long at one specific spot, and Chanhee was certain that much light was fucking absurd for a company like theirs. It wasn’t a hospital. It wasn’t an office either. Yet it looked like a mix of both, and he couldn’t help but _hate_ it. The feeling in his gut didn’t leave, much the opposite actually, and it was making him sick.

“Choi Chanhee, wasn’t expecting to see you again this soon”, he heard a voice he’s only heard _once_ before behind him. However, he was certain of who was the one talking to him before even turning to check. But he still did it, because he should be polite, and he was proven right. The older man he’s only seen once but would probably recognize anywhere stared back at him, small and pure-looking smile on his lips, trying to look sympathetic. And maybe it was an honest smile, but the youngest didn’t dare to trust him this fast. “What a surprise, but a good one of course. I see you decided to give us a bit of your trust, and you even brought your roommate too.”

Before the short one of the duo could reply, Juyeon moved his arm towards the other man, showing him his palm. “I’m Lee Juyeon. I’m assuming you’re the one who paid us a visit while I wasn’t home.”

The man took his hand while he nodded. “That was me. My name’s Kim Younghoon. So you must be the empathic one.”

The other was taken aback, and so was Chanhee, a little bit. He had never told him their abilities when Younghoon visited, but now that he put some thought, he _did_ come by their shared home _already knowing_ they were both cursed. It wasn’t that odd for him to know _exactly_ what curse they had.

Seeing their reactions, he laughed. “One of our coworkers, the one who has been working here the longest, is gifted too and he can detect other people with abilities. This was how I knew where you’d be, and how I already knew what I was going to meet.”

“Creepy”, Chanhee whispered, hoping not to be heard. The other didn’t show any signs of listening to what he had said but, by the way he kept a strict poker face - with the occasional fake smile -, he couldn’t be so sure.

Juyeon crossed his arms. “So you have this one dude who works like a magnet for people like us and your job is to go after them and invite them in? This can’t be it.”

“When you put it like that it sounds awful”, Younghoon said as he frowned. “That’s not really it, we don’t invite everyone he finds. We help those who seem to be in need, who are at risk, and recruit people who could be beneficial for our cause.”

“And where do we fit in?”, Chanhee asked annoyedly, despite having a guess himself. They wouldn’t be considered people at risk, not now that they were finally under a roof, fighting to grab the smallest of chances they could, that they were deprived of when younger. They weren’t at risk, not anymore, but they were before and _no one tried to help them back then_. He knew he should let the past behind, but hearing the other’s words annoyed him more than it should, memories of his neglected childhood coming back.

Younghoon took some time to reply, just staring straight at the shorter. It was a bit scary, as if he was analyzing what he meant by the question, and considering the wave of anger he suddenly felt, it worried Chanhee. “We’re recruiting you if so you accept it. Your gift is beneficial.”

He was expecting the first half of the answer but the last part hit him off guard. He didn’t really get what he meant by that, turning to his best friend who understood as much as him. “Why would we be beneficial?”

“Oh, I meant _you_ as in just him. You, Chanhee, have a great gift. But you said you’d never come without Juyeon, so I thought I should invite him too.”

“Huh. _Thanks then_ ”, Juyeon said beside him, visibly showing his disapproval, but he was the one who suggested them to come, so the younger rolled his eyes.

“Don’t take it personally. It’s good to see you both here, willing to help those in need. You two should know how in danger others could be, considering…”, he trailed off, clearing his throat before continuing. But it didn’t go unnoticed by the youngest who frowned at that. _So he knows. They know._ “But Chanhee can use his mind to get into computers, and his ability is strong. This, if well trained, can be a big advantage to help them. Help _us_ ”, Younghoon corrected himself with a sad smile.

And _fuck_ , he had a point. Shitty to admit it, but he did. As much as he hated it, his ability could be helpful if used for something good.

It kind of felt odd that they only wanted him collaborating _because of the fucking curse._ Yet, with the way the older talked about it… he felt _useful_. He felt like he could do something to help people, even if it meant using this thing he hated so much. And this was why he nodded at the older, decided to listen to his best friend, and accept the job.

It wasn’t super bad at first. It wasn’t even _bad_ at first, it was a little too perfect in fact, but he kept ignoring his gut for too long, feeling comfortable in the environment, meeting different peoples who had the same dream of a safer world and all that crap. Maybe he should’ve been a little more sceptical and suspected of the entire thing, but he quickly released his worries and left his guard down, believing blindly that he was doing what was good.

There was no need to be wary, because it was the right thing.

Until he - or, actually, Juyeon - discovered that he was being used not for the good, but for something he’d never like to have a part of. For something that was pretty much the opposite of what he thought he was doing.

 

“I hope this is the last day we have to step in that stupid building”, the younger suddenly spoke in a weak voice. But Juyeon could feel how burning in anger he was now feeling and nodded at him.

“Me too. We have to stop them.”

Chanhee gave him a small nod. “And to think of how many people they’ve used”, he started, feeling anger rise onto himself. “Not just us but the hyungs, the noonas, God, the younger ones--”, his hands went into a tight fist, thinking of the many people he knew and were vulnerable, being used as small paws, always discardable. And also the ones they so much cherished, never to be touched, never to be replaced. People from the files he never had access to and wished to never need. Names like Hyunjun, who was so powerful, taken at a young age and having his memories played with. And for what? Not for what they promised. Not for a better understanding of those with curses, trying to communicate peacefully with the lucky ones who were considered normal, oh no. They couldn’t care less about peace. They didn’t want to be respected, they wanted to be feared. They wanted _destruction_.

It was frustrating. He didn’t deserve any of it, none of them deserved it, and if they didn’t act soon, found information about this Park Jinyoung, or maybe about their first target, they’d just keep going with their awful plans. If the two of them fail and they succeed instead it’d be the start of a new era, but no one said it’d be a good one. And so, this needed to end as soon as possible.

“We can’t let them take more people like that. We can’t let them do the same thing they did to Hyunjun, and to all the others too. We don’t know it all, imagine how many people they’ve taken and played with their fate and memories? And they could do it again. _They’re probably still doing it_.”

“We’ll stop them, that’s for sure. They won’t take anyone else.”

Juyeon rested his hand on the other’s shoulder, somehow reassuring. He didn’t say anything else, but even so, Chanhee felt calmer. He knew the older agreed with him, that he’d give his all to do the right thing this time, and that was more than fine.

As he heard the younger rant about Hyunjun, he couldn’t help but think back about Changmin. He only talked to him once and he looked very average, very ordinary, but he knew better. Juyeon knew he was also changed, and that he had a vulnerable emotional, despite not knowing why. And it made him worry because, well, he was a possible target as well by just existing, because he also had a gift, regardless of what that was, and it put him in danger. One day he could be gone, just like the other kids, and have his life thrown away.

They couldn’t let that happen, not to Changmin, not the boy who was seen as such a special piece of their plan, not to anyone else.

…

“You’re going to meet some people before your appointment, Hyunjun-goon”, Hyuksoo told him as they left his house, already properly dressed and with his breakfast half eaten. He sighed, rolling his eyes and walking against his will.

There were still many hours for said appointment, but the kid supposed that they were trying to gain his trust, as he overheard not long ago. So, he was going to get acquainted with whoever was behind the curtains, helping Mr Park with his stupid plan, and maybe hear some of it as well. Or so he assumed because, _really_ , Hyunjun didn’t have much of a clue who - or what - he would meet. Maybe they aren’t even someone _that_ important, not yet to be trusted with important matters, still considered dangerous to them after his explosive reaction in front of the Boss. Either way, _he didn’t care_ , he was being forced to get even more involved in this mess, which he hated. He didn’t want to deal with any of this, he really, _really_ just wanted to run away. Hyunjun was getting tired of this entire situation and he didn’t need to be even more involved in this. He wasn’t even entirely sure of _what the situation even was_ , just that he was important for something, that his gift was an advantage for whoever they were to achieve whatever they wanted. That. Was. It.

This was annoying, frustrating, and he was tired. He was _done_.

Hyuksoo kept talking about the people he’d meet but he only pretended to hear, too busy looking by the window and daydreaming of a life he was deprived of. Maybe he could use his ability to make the older shut up, to make the driver stop, wipe their memories clean and just walk out as if nothing had happened, escaping from this whole mess. But he knew he wouldn’t actually do it, not like this, considering there could be something on the car, like cameras or a GPS device that would get alarmed if they went off track, now that they had his suspects on him. It sounded easy considering what he could do, but it was never this easy when it came to… whoever he was dealing with. Besides, if he was to do something this risky, he should’ve done it before. Yet he didn’t, because he considered doing things by impulse would never be good, and he still believed on that. Planning before acting. That was what he believed so much, hence why he hadn’t really acted at all. Because whenever he thought he concluded that it wasn’t worth it, like escaping at this instant. It’d be reckless and dangerous.

He just really was starting to get impatient. And he really needed to act soon.

At least he’d get to meet Jaehyun in a couple of hours. He had a plan and that was to talk to him. He hated that _he_ would be there as well, but he was glad that he wanted to see how far his abilities could go. Because that meant he could use it, their guards down, and he’d get to talk to the older in private, somewhere no one couldn’t enter besides Hyunjun.

He had a plan. And he was going to finally make a move.

“We’re here”, Hyuksoo said suddenly, the car now parked on their usual spot. Hyunjun opened the door before the driver could, impatiently leaving the vehicle and ignoring the look his mentor gave him. He sighed in annoyance. “Come with me, Hyunjun-goon. We’re going to another floor this time.”

The kid quietly nodded, entering the elevator he usually did, but instead of the older clicking the button twelve, the button minus nine was pressed. He wondered what he would find there, considering it was a floor he had never entered. Hyunjun didn’t really think much about the building he so often visited, and that he would always go down and not up, but now that he was going to somewhere new, he couldn’t help but think. But wonder.

The elevator door opened and he was met with a hall as similar as to the one he’d always see, except there wasn’t a table next to the doors, with a secretary looking down on her computer or on the phone. It had the same white walls as the floor he knew, the same feeling of being in a hospital as floor twelve, of being in a prison. However he couldn’t help but notice it was emptier, and it also felt colder and the hall longer, with so many doors and corridors and no windows visible.

It made him shiver.

“Where’s that kid? He should’ve been waiting for us”, the adult man by his side said under his breath before stepping outside, Hyunjun following behind. He had no idea who he was referring to, but he assumed it was one of the many people he had to meet that day.

In a matter of a couple of seconds, a young man came running from one of the corridors, fluffy light hair all messy from the hurry. He seemed tired, as if he had missed many nights of sleep, yet the smile he gave at their direction was blinding. “Hello, Hyuksoo-nim, sorry for being late! Something came up with the pharmacy team and the manipulation recipe needed a few check-ups”, he said in between huffs, trying to catch his breath.

“Oh? Is it something to worry about?”

“No! No no no, you don’t have to worry about that”, he answered a bit too fast, making Hyunjun raise a brow. His guards were up, as they always were, and he didn’t know what to expect from the other. “Well, nice to meet you again, Hur Hyunjun. I’m Christopher Bang, but no calls me by that. You can just call me Chan, since that’s my Korean name.”

He stared at the hand the other had given him but he refused to hold it. “ _Again_?”

Chan blinked at that, probably not realizing he had said it himself, cheeks going pink as he slowly retracted his hand. Hyuksoo cleared his throat, grabbing his attention. “Well, Chan-goon? Should we meet with the others?”

The other visibly gulped, forcing another smile. “Of course! Follow me, you two.”

The kid stayed a few steps quietly following him, his mentor by his side, as his mind started trying to make sense into this entire situation. He sighed. “So, Chan-ssi, what do you do?”

The man in question turned to Hyunjun, head tilted. “What do you mean by that?”

“Your role, or job, I guess. What do you do?”

“Ah”, he laughed awkwardly, turning to Hyuksoo as in reading his expression. Since he didn’t show any negative reaction, he coughed to clear his throat. “Well, it’s a bit complex to understand. I’m pretty much just here for having a really useful gift--”

“ _Chan-goon_.”

“--but I also am good with chemicals and stuff”, he quickly added after the warning, “so I take care of the kids’ medications.”

“What kind of medications?”

He was reluctant to answer. “Just, you know. Like yours.”

“…Right”, he said, not liking the sound of it at all. Yeah, he did grow up having to take some medication, especially on his older days, and he never knew what they did or why he didn’t need them anymore. It made him uneasy, not only for him, but for whoever the older meant by _the kids_.

“Well, we’re here”, Chan spoke again, opening his door and smiling wide. “Say hello to my stray kids.”

“They’re not yours”, Hyuksoo reminded him.

“I found them and take care of them, they’re my kids”, he quickly said, ignoring the annoyed look from the older. “Well, Hyunjun-goon, you should go meet them. They’re close to your age so I hope you can befriend them.”

The kid frowned in confusion. What was the use of him meeting people around his age? Unless they really didn’t want to trust him with confidential information and this was a test. Yeah, it could be that. A test.

He sighed, stepping inside the place. There was another man wearing clothing similar to Chan’s and so he assumed he was also a chemist or whatever he did. The others were all wearing casual clothing, doing pretty common stuff like watching television or reading. It made him frown even more.

“Hyunjin-ah, could you come here for a while?”, the fluffy haired man spoke after a while, and one of the boys who was distractedly staring at the big screen turned around, walking towards the door. “Hwang Hyunjin, this is Hur Hyunjun. Hyunjun, this is Hyunjin. _God that was hard to say out loud_ ”, the older suddenly spoke in English, flustered. “Anyway, Hyunjin, I’m sure you can show how things work around here to him? Since he’s new to pretty much everything.”

“Oh, sure thing, hyung.”

“ _Hyung_?”, it was Hyuksoo who spoke this time, a single brow up. “Why are you so casual with these kids, _Chan-ah_?”, he scoffed. “Is this why they’re _your_ stray kids? Aren’t you being too protective and personal with them.”

The Australian man gulped at that, but Hyunjin quickly opened his mouth again. “Oh, personal, _him_?”, he crossed his arms with a smirk. “He _hates_ us calling him hyung, but I do it anyway. He told me to stop many times but I never listened to him. _Whoops_ ”, he jokingly slapped his forehead, trying to sound like a brat. It convinced the older, despite his obvious dislike to hearing that, but Hyunjun knew better. He could tell when someone was lying.

“Well, I should go back and check if the pills are all properly done this time”, Chan said, clapping his hands before a polite nod. “Gentlemen.”

The chemist turned on his heels, but not before patting Hyunjun’s shoulder and giving Hyunjin a look he wasn’t sure what it meant, but the other probably did. He sighed. “Well, almost name twin, let’s show you around.”

They walked a few steps into the room until the boy who was dragging him around stopped, turning at Hyuksoo. “Will you keep following us?”

The man didn’t show any reaction, but certainly, he wasn’t approving of the kid’s words. “Of course. As Hyunjun-goon’s mentor I must--”

“Oh, come _on_ , are you his babysitter now? He’s a grown boy”, he turned to the other. “How old are you?”

Hyunjun blinked. “I just completed nineteen last week.”

“Oh, we’re the same age then, my birthday is in a few days”, he smiled at himself, turning to Hyuksoo again. “See, he’s nearly an adult. I’m sure you can trust him to walk around the place so I can introduce him to how you guys work, right? Is this not why we’re here in the first place?”

The older man stared fiercely at Hyunjin, which made the other worry for a second, but then he sighed. “I’ll be by the elevator. You have half an hour, Hyunjun-goon still has an appointment to go to.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything, sir”, he smiled in a sly way, clearly enjoying his victory. “Well, Hyunjunie, I’d love to introduce you to everyone but since time is short, I’d rather show what matters more.”

“Which would be?”, he asked, letting the slightly younger one drag him out of the room and into one specific corridor. “Where are you dragging me to?”

“You ask too many questions”, he said instead. “It’s understandable, since you know nothing at all, but sorry to say it but it’s a bit annoying.”

He gulped down, shutting up instantly. He let Hyunjin drag him to a quiet room, with a big glass wall that revealed the room beside the one they had entered, much bigger and full of computers and wires. He wondered what exactly was inside them, but decided to ignore the thought and stare at the other.

“This is where they keep everything. From information on all of us, to possible new changed people, to their most secretive plans”, the younger started explaining. “There is for sure information about you.”

Hyunjun blinked, turning to the glass window instantly and walking closer.

“Sadly we can’t access. But you”, he stopped dramatically, waiting for the other to show signs of listening. He continued after a nod. “You might get access to this one day, to all that is inside it. If you play by the rules.”

“So you want me to do just that?”

“If so you desire”, he shrugged again. “You do you. I’d advice you at least pretend to follow their rules. You’ll survive faster here, although considering your skill and position you can misbehave a bit more.”

He nodded quietly. “The whole son of the CEO play, huh.”

He didn’t know what was so funny by his remark but Hyunjin laughed loudly at that. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know what your power is but it’s somehow _important_ , otherwise you wouldn’t be here by now”, he said in a normal tone but with a too serious face. “Anyway, I brought you here because I’m sure you’re interested in your past. We all are, and considering your situation, that might work as motivation.”

Hyunjun didn’t get what he meant by motivation but he was too scared of the answer, so he opted to not voice it. “Anything else I got as privileges for being the son of the CEO?”

Hyunjin smirked at him. “Follow me”, he said as he left the room, this time without physical contact, expecting the older to follow him. “I’ve heard from Chan-hyung that this place wasn’t always this corrupted, that there might be someone or something else involved with your lovely fake father who recently got his promotion and changed the entire philosophy of the company. I’m assuming that your gift is a vital part of it, so eventually, they’ll tell you most of it. Not all, because they seem to distrust you”, he stared at the older with the corner of eyes. “You must have done something terrible.”

“I don’t think disagreeing with their ideas is something _that_ bad.”

“Of course”, Hyunjin smiled. “I like you already. A shame we can’t get too close.”

“We can’t?”, he asked with a frown, curiosity hitting him once again.

The younger eyed him again but didn’t open his mouth as he entered another room. “This is Chan-hyung’s workplace.”

Hyunjun looked around. He didn’t know how to describe the room he was currently in, it felt _so_ out of place. It was very light but not because of the room’s lights that got reflected by the white walls - he was sure the lights weren’t even on. Instead, there were tons of screens on, in different channels from different countries and languages, and it was those lights that got reflected instead. He could see the table inside the room had tons of paper, some being news and some being maps. Nothing made sense for him. “This doesn’t look like a pharmacy.”

“He was two workplaces”, he said as he raised a brow at that. “Did he not tell you his ability?”

He quietly shook his head.

“Well, you’re important for their plans”, he started to explain, refusing to tell the other what it was. “I don’t know _how_ but you’re a pillar for that to succeed. Finding you and keeping you in line, for them, was crucial. But you’re not the only key, and you’re not the most vital one. They knew who that was but”, he giggled at that, “a hyung of ours did us a favour and took the information away. Sadly we can’t try to find him and try to help, but also, they also can’t. Don’t know if that’s a bad or a good thing. So they are content with what they can grab, which is you.”

Hyunjun quietly nodded at it, staring at the room once again.

“There is someone else they would love to conceal, but that’s someone they can’t track, which should be contradicting as they’re as strong as you. Or maybe even more”, he scratched his head. “They have a hint of what their ability is, but they seem to be around the place, as if they were in many places at once, but nowhere at all.”

“As if their curse is dormant?”

Hyunjin smirked at that. “Kinda, but not really. Rather than dormant, it’s somehow unstable. Still, that’s not this company’s priority.”

“It isn’t?”

“Nope. This person, whoever they are, they’re not a pillar for their plans but rather, they’re just seen as a threat. It’s not something they put much thought on, however, they’re still something too strong, too dangerous to not ignore. Whoever they are, you must be careful.”

He blinked. “Why?”

The younger smiled in a dark way.“I just know. And I believed you would want to know, but I don’t know why that’d be important to you. But it will.”

Hyunjun gulped down. “You know a lot.”

“I do. It’s not something I can help with, hence why I’m here”, he admitted in a sad tone.“Which is also why Chan-hyung told me to come. I know that will be important and he trusts me.”

“You didn’t need to tell me _all_ of it, though.”

Hyunjin stared at him, as if he was looking through him.“Yes, I do. I _know_ it’s important you to know all of this. Considering the role they have given you, you’re not just important to their goals. You’ll have choices to do, sides to pick, but regardless, you’re going to be important to whatever that comes. You _need_ to know that.”

The slightly older crossed his arms.“So you’re telling me so you can use me for _your_ plans?”

“ _God_ , no. Our plans don’t involve anyone but ourselves”, he said and it made Hyunjun wonder who this _us_ was. Probably the kids that Chan had told him about? “Don’t misunderstand me, I said it before, you do you. But you can’t choice without knowing what you’re signing for and, well, they seem to want to keep you blindfolded so you’d pick whatever they want you to. Warnings don’t hurt”, he sighed.

He felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but he decided to ignore it and force a smile. “You don’t have to worry much about me. I already knew more than they think I do, I’m not that blind.”

“I hoped so. Otherwise you’d probably tell over me and the rest of the boys and it’d be our ruin. But I _knew_ you wouldn’t”, Hyunjin smiled. “Either way, your babysitter must be worried about you, so maybe we should go back. And maybe I can give you a small introduction to the rest of us, if we got the time for that”, he said with a wink, leaving the weird room.

He couldn’t do anything else but to follow him out.

…

Jaehyun just really wanted that day to end. He was growing impatient of playing nice, of pretending to side with the enemy, of doing what he was told despite plotting their fall by their back. It was really tiring to play the double spy, but now that the safety of his two closest friends was on the line, it only made things more stressing. Things had to go smoothly, he had to do well, and it was wearing him off. The overthinking, the worry, the over-analyzing every of his as well as other people’s moves, praying for all to just pass as quickly as possible, as close to the plan as they’ve decided, and all of that was taking all of his strength.

He sighed. He _really_ wanted it all to end, and to end _well_. He wanted it to go fine, to work well. For everyone’s sake.

“You got a minute?”, he heard a familiar voice beside him. Jaehyun turned at his right, eyeing the one and only, Bang Chan, with his full safety wear safe for the helmet. He gulped in fear, wondering if he had somehow known that Juyeon and Chanhee were on their way and was ready to ruin their plan. Actually, scratch that, now that he was facing the other _he knew for sure_ that he knew they would soon arrive. That was literally his ability, and if it wasn’t for him, the duo would never ever stepped in the company when they did. Not even himself would have if it wasn’t for Chan.

Him, who _literally_ could sense people and their curses and, depending on how strong they were, even if they’re from other continents.

Jaehyun was met with a wave of fear and despair. How could he have forgotten this detail? How could he have let it slip from his mind when it was something so vital, that could ruin their plan within seconds?

He gulped down, hoping his anxiety wasn’t so noticeable. “Sure. But you must be quick, I have an appointment soon.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. Well, follow me?”, he said in a light tone, smiling at the receptionist before dragging the other. “ _God, if only you spoke English I wouldn’t need to drag you this far._ ”

“What did you say?”, the slight older asked in an annoyed tone, not understanding much of what he had said. Excuse him, he _did_ know some English. He just couldn’t understand the other’s Australian accent. Or any other accent, really, but he could read children’s books and that was what counted the most.

The other rolled his eyes as he opened the door to the emergency exit, which made Jaehyun wonder what was that even about, worried for his own well being. Because if he knew, which Jaehyun  _knew_ he knew, why was he behaving like this when he could just reveal all his plans to a superior or something similar? But then the door closed and Chan let go of his arm, softening his expression. “Before you freak out about what I’m about to tell you, I want to assure you I’m on your side.”

He blinked in confusion. “What do you--”

“I know about Juyeon and Chanhee, and I bet you know that I know”, he quickly said, not allowing to be refuted, “but I’m not opening my mouth about them, or setting up alarms, or anything like that. I don’t know what _exactly_ you are planning and it’s probably better that things remain like that, but I believe you’re doing something against their will and considered you will need more allies, as much as _I_ need more allies for my own plans, so I’m reaching out to you. Of course, if you agree you’ll owe me, but that’s not what matters right now.”

“Uhm”, he suddenly said without thinking much, cleaning his throat afterwards. “How long have you known? About all of this.”

Chan crossed his arms. “A while. Chanhee kept visiting your house for months until he suddenly stayed there while you were in here. You know how his gift is strong, he could go to America and I’d know. But also, the way you act around Hyunjun--”

“ _You know about him too_?!”

“Not much”, he assured with a serious expression. “I just discovered who he was an hour ago or so. Hyuksoo-nim made me introduce him to the rest of the kids, and well, I felt him, so I knew he was the kid you were taking care of. The way you took care of him and his files made me realize there was something there. You’re careful but I know a lot of things”, he said with a shrug as if it was nothing. The other shivered. “So, what can I help with?”

Jaehyun scoffed. “Is it going to be that easy? You discover that I’m as much as a traitor as those other two and, without questioning me, you want to cooperate?”

“As of now you didn’t do anything wrong. In that case, I’m more of a traitor than you are”, he casually said, straightening himself. “I’ve discovered your plan and instead of bursting your plans I’m standing a hand at you, because I’m on your side, Lee Jaehyun. I’ve worked here since the beginning. This used to be a noble company, with altruist ideals, but not anymore. This place is corrupted and there are people I really care for in here who could be in harm, and they’re here because of me. I can’t stay quiet anymore.”

The older stared at him, analyzing his expression. Chris meant every single word he had said and it gave him hope. A hope that stung with a feeling of deja vu that reminded Jaehyun of _him_ , but still, it was good to have someone by his side nonetheless, someone from inside. He sighed and nodded after a while. “An extra distraction wouldn’t be bad. I need an alibi so they can’t connect whatever happens today with me, and for that, it must happen during my appointment. Maybe some small malfunctioning here and there.”

“Malfunctioning? I know someone whose last name is just that”, he smiled to himself like a proud father. “Don’t worry. I bet he can give you his best shot.”

He smiled back at the slightly younger. “Thanks. Whenever you need me, feel free to drag my ass again.”

“Gladly”, Chan replied, letting the other share his full plan. He nodded as he patiently heard it all, focusing on every word in silence and agreeing with it all, until they decided to part ways. He still had his appointment while the other had his daily tasks to finish as well, and their chat had been longer than they desired, and that made him worry a bit more.

He didn’t know there was someone else who was also done with their corrupted ideas. After Juyeon realizing their true intentions and trying to warn their team, but with only Chanhee believing him right away, and then Younghoon betraying the company with such a drastic way later on, Jaehyun had assumed that things would never change. With the three of them gone, and him taking so long to open his own eyes, he was sure he was alone.

 

“What do you mean, you resigned?”, he remembers asking the older of the duo who had his belongings in a box, a similar one on his best friend’s hands. “We’ve been working together for so long, you two nearly live here. Where are you two going?”

“Who knows. _Out_ ”, Chanhee answered annoyed. He knew how the younger despised him, despite not knowing why.

He scoffed, realizing what it was about. “Is it because of the files you’ve found? Come on, there is no evidence it’s actually theirs. That could have been planted by a mole or something”

His reply started with a deadly glare. “Excuse me? Did you forget what I’m capable of? I was _literally_ inside their system, I know what I found and where it came from. There is something really wrong blooming in this place and I do not want to be here when its true colours come up.”

“Chanhee”, Juyeon warned him. They were still inside their building and, despite not working to them anymore, he seemed to be cautious. Jaehyun didn’t get it, they were somewhere safe, somewhere nice, and they were acting as if they were in danger instead, running away.

He couldn’t get it.

The taller of the duo sighed, turning to him. “If you don’t want to believe us, it’s fine, if you want to stay, that’s also fine. But we’re not staying because we don’t agree with this anymore. It’s not fine for us.”

“What’s going on here?”, they heard a voice coming from behind Jaehyun, who turned to eye Younghoon. “You two are--”

“Yes, hyung. We are leaving.”

The oldest stared at Chanhee who spoke with his chin up, defiant tone. The four of them were a team, worked together really often, but he was often the one who gave the last word. Not because he was the one born first, but because he had been in the company the longest and thus was seen as their team’s representative. They all had a lot of respect for his and relied on him a lot, and they liked to believe that it wasn’t one-sided, that it wasn’t only them who trusted him.

And Jaehyun knew he trusted the three of them just as much. So, looking half of his team resign for disagreeing with what they knew, sparked something in him. “You are seriously leaving because of-- of _that_. That you told us before.”

Juyeon turned to look at his best friend before nodding at him. “It isn’t something we want to be part of. You wouldn’t get it.”

Younghoon tried not to show much reaction, quietly nodding. “I respect your choice, despite being sad to see you leave.”

The older of the duo smiled at him. “It’s okay, hyung. You still have my number. Text me.”

“Of course. And I will text you as well, Chanhee.”

“And I will try to not ignore it”, he said with a little grin and that made Jaehyun laugh. The young one was nearly _always_ connected, due to his ability, however, he really just answered whenever he felt like it, or when he was super bored.

“Well”, he started, suddenly feeling awkward. He wasn’t good with farewells, which was something he hated so much, and he knew that both of them were disappointed in him, even Juyeon, who tried not to show it. It just didn’t make sense, what they told him. “I will miss you two too. You were my favourite coworkers.”

“I am literally beside you”, Younghoon said in a beat. “You know, your _boyfriend_?”

Juyeon smiled at him. “You have my number as well. This is not a goodbye, we can all hang out or something, whenever you’re not too busy.”

Chanhee tsked. “Can’t see that happening, these two are workaholics.”

The older gave him a glare but let it be. “Well, we should get going.”

Jaehyun looked as the younger duo walked away from him, towards the elevator. He knew they had their reasons but the scene sting. Farewells were something he hated.

“I’m concerned”, Younghoon suddenly said in a quiet tone, face frowning, as he kept looking at the elevator. “Maybe there is something up.”

The younger blinked at him. “You aren’t serious, are you?”

The other gave him one of his expressionless faces and it made him shiver. He was scary when he was serious. “Jaehyun-ah, you know them. They wouldn’t leave if it wasn’t something bad and real. Their biggest goal in life what to help people.”

“Yeah, and so are the goal of those who brought this place up. It must have been someone who decided to frame us with all those disappearances.”

“If it was to frame us why was it so safe?”, he suddenly snapped. “And they didn’t even tell half of what they’ve seen. There might be something really dirty going on in here, and they didn’t want to dirty their hands.”

Jaehyun couldn’t believe his ears. “You’ve worked in here for as long as I have. How can you suspect them after all they’ve done for people like us?”

The look from the older’s eyes changed but he couldn’t tell what it was, just that he didn’t like it. It was dark, but then he was smiling, a smile that didn’t feel warm at all. “People like you, Jaehyun. People like you, like Juyeon, and Chanhee. Not me. I’m an outsider. I’m just an ordinary man who wants to help you, who can’t understand why others like me can’t see that you are also normal people. And I thought that this place would help people like you, and they did help so many, but if suddenly there is something bad happening, bad enough that those two are running away instead of staying and fighting”, he paused to breathe, “we’ve been all lied to.”

His eyes shine with determination but there was something dark in it. It wasn’t the same look of hope that he adored so much, that he appreciated so much. It was angry.

Jaehyun put one of his hands on his hip, pulling the older closer to himself. “Calm down. It’s fine, you must be stressed from all that has been happening, and now half of our team just left. Take it easy, okay? They had their reasons. No need to overthink about it.”

Younghoon sighed but didn’t move away from his touch, instead he hugged him back. “Maybe. This is just a bit…”

“Too much?”, he tried, laughing at it.

“Yeah. Probably.”

“Well, Chanhee was right. You _are_ a workaholic.”

The older pulled away for a bit, just enough to stare at him in the eyes. “I am not listening to this from you, mister. You are too.”

“It was him who said it, not me. I’m just repeating.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re so annoying sometimes.”

“Yeah, but you love me”, Jaehyun said with a grin, moving forwards so his nose touched the tip of the older’s.

Younghoon smiled. “Yeah

I do.”

 

He sighed in annoyance, remembering of _him_. He thought that talking to him would make him move on, and he wasn’t exactly wrong. But fuck, seeing the passion in Chan’s eyes made him think of him. Of the one he once loved. And should have trusted.

Younghoon kept that sparkle for some time after that, still his sweet caring self who only wanted to make the world somewhere better, but eventually, his curiosity and doubts ate him alive. He stayed in his office more than not obsessed with this hunt - the same and that Jaehyun now knew to be the one he was on - seeking for answers, and he would always tell him he was stressing over nothing. The older used to reply with words of agreement but they eventually got harsher and the couple started fighting and ignoring.

Until Younghoon had enough.

Jaehyun sighed. _Whatever_. The day hadn’t ended yet and he needed to get moving, to meet Hyunjun on his last appointment, praying everything to go as smoothly as possible. He really wanted their plan to work, because there wasn’t any other option.

* * *

Sunwoo could feel it under his skin, begging for attention, for destruction, for freedom. He shrank himself in bed, in the darkness from under the blanket and trying this best o control it, hoping it to wear off. It’s been so long since he last used his curse - or, well, that it snapped and made him black out - and it was probably craving to be used.

He started tearing up, remembering the previous experiences he had whenever it happened. How many people he had hurt unwillingly because of this, how he always felt unconscious for a few moments until he discovering something or someone was ruined.

And, for fuck’s sake, _he was at home_. He couldn’t let it consume him, not now, he would never forgive him if he ever hurt his family, his father, who meant so much to him. He couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t. Sunwoo repeated it like a mantra, telling himself to calm down, to let it wear off, to this thing to stop.

He heard two faint knocks at his bedroom door. “Sunwoo?”, a voice quietly came inside his rooms, after a small click that certainly meant that the lights were now on. “Sunwoo, my son, are you awake?”

The boy put a hand over his mouth, trying to hide his sobs, hating the goddamn timing. His father didn’t know what he was capable of, didn’t know how much he suffered from this abomination that was inside of him, and he didn’t want it to accidentally be released and hurting him. He wished, _prayed_ , that his father would just turn his back at him and leave him alone.

Instead, the man sighed, stepping close to his bed. He shut his eyes, heart beating faster and faster as he stood close. He heard the adult mess around his bedside table and that made his tension were off for a while. Soon his father left his room in quiet and slow steps, maybe to look back at his son’s figure before returning to where he was previously.

Sunwoo counted to thirty before he removed the blanket from his head, eyeing at his empty and dark room. He breathed in and out until he realized and got surprised of how much calmer he now felt, the desire to explode and destroy now gone. He sighed in relief, glad that he had avoided it yet another day. That he hadn’t done it again.

He then remembered of the bedside table, turning to eye it. He couldn’t help but wonder, it was late at night and he was certain insomnia would bother his ass for the next couple of hours. And so, Sunwoo turned to his left to open the single drawer, noticing that there was something new there. A letter from his mother.

He laughed at that. Sunwoo often received texts from his mother, yet, the woman insisted to send him letters and printed photos from time to time, and in all honesty, he loved receiving them.

She had moved out with his younger sister when he was pretty young, but they were still married. In fact, the reason they lived far was mostly because of her job, but also, because Sunwoo wouldn’t be able to move out, not before finding Hyunjun. He’d never forgive himself if he ever turned his back and pretended the older didn’t exist. And so, somehow, his parents managed the distance, and his mother and sister often visited, the younger more than the woman.

Eyeing the letter, he couldn’t help but wonder how they were. They hadn’t visited for a couple of months, not being there during Christmas and also not for Seollal. It was the first time for both holidays that their family hadn’t been complete and Sunwoo noticed it, feeling uneasy. But also he just shrugged it off because at least he was still in Seoul, he was still trying to find his friend and nothing else mattered. His family was healthy and safe, especially those two, for being so far from him. So really, he didn’t complain.

He quietly opened it, reading the message, and it made him feel warm. His mother was a really caring woman, he already knew it really well, but he was always reminded of such with just a couple of words. He found himself smiling at it, reading how sorry his mother was for not making it until Seollal from the previous month, but promising she and his sister would be there for his birthday next month. She had also talked about her holidays and shared some pictures of it.

It made him happy. It made him calmer. He held it close to his chest, smiling by himself as he once again laid down on the bed.

He knew insomnia wouldn’t let him sleep, but still he kept his eyes shut, thinking of his old days with everyone at home, his favourite neighbour included, sweet innocence of a child still unharmed. Sunwoo couldn’t sleep, but nothing stopped him to dream about happiness.

* * *

Juyeon finally left the bus, following his younger friend by a few steps as they walked towards their destination. He sighed, remembering the important points of their mission. Jaehyun had told him when his appointment started, where most people on the minus nine floor - their priority - would be at the same time, and other small details to not forget about. It would be hard, he knew, nearly impossible for them to succeed, but still, they had to. 

“So”, he said quietly, turning to the other.“Let’s do this?”

Chanhee nodded beside him, determination and anger still burning in his eyes. “Let’s fucking do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda unhappy with this chapter despite being so long and probably not super disappointing, oh boy ^___^ will probably edit later  
>  **summaries will now end! this is the 12th summary (including the work's) so i decided it would be a great moment to stop. if you want to read them as a one text thing,[i got yo back](https://listography.com/heecheondo/notes/find_me__dont_lose_this_hand_)**. i think for the future the summaries either will be a little (snip?) of what will happen, or wont exist at all. still thinking about it. either way, heads up!  
>  since i rambled too much on the first notes, i'll not ramble much here. just wanted to say that i'm really happy for that chan appearance, and for the rest of skz in general, but mostly chan. i've been thinking about a spinoff with stray kids for months now ([seriously](https://twitter.com/heecheondo/status/1034859667518828545)) and i do have ideas for it, and lets just say chan's the mvp on it. but sadly i'll probably never write it since i'm busy with this fic and with uni and irl issues as well, making it tougher and tougher for me to sit down and write.... so once this is over i'll probably not even try to do the spin off, at least not too soon.... so yeah,,, but i'm glad i can hint on that story here despite only i knowing abt the side story sjhakfhsakjda (i'd chat abt it but it might spoil a bit of this fic so... maybe in the future? you know where to find me mwah)  
> also ps...... sunwoo's scene is the only one non linear in this chapter (hence the … instead of a straight line), because i wanted to add it to make things more plural...? timeline wise it is not immediately after junewjaehwall scenes which happens on the same day, consider it being after sunhakkyuric meeting but before whatever scene is yet to come featuring them okay!!!!!!!! sdfjksdfskfjsd also² i was going to make sunwoo's family havnig issues, but then i thought, i'm putting my personal issues too much on these kids! so many of them already have problems either at home or at school.... besides, sunwoo needs some happiness. so yeah asjdhajsdahsdjahsa  
> I'LL GIVE YOU 5 COOKIES IF YOU CAN GUESS HYUNJIN'S POWER (not that it's important for this plot but i like his power and he is badass so). chan's was mentioned like thrice despite only once being super direct so no cookies if you got his, only hyunjin's  
> see ya god knows when! <3  
>   
>   
>   
> what do you mean it wasnt obvious that ppangjae were dating before the whole traitor thing happened pffffft i'm a good writer who hints shit properly pls---- (ok maybe i forgot hinting it properly OKAY dont have urself if that was uncalled for i'm a BAD WRITER)

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to talk to me: [my twt](https://twitter.com/heecheondo) & [my cc](https://curiouscat.me/heecheondo). also [consider supporting me by buying me a coffe](https://ko-fi.com/heecheondo)!


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